OWNM
by Pajaros en la cabeza
Summary: Translation of my fanfic "One World Nation Movement". A movement called One World Nation Movement threatens the countries. They will be forced to join forces to face this enemy in common. Also a chance to explore what it is like to be a living nation. T for violence and some language. Preliminar image was made by beebeesart on Tumblr. NOW COMPLETE
1. Belgium

**HETALIA IS A MANGA BY HIDEKAZ HIMARUYA**

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**Some chapters include at the beginning the music that inspired them**

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My therapist says talking about what happened will help me. I would love to bury the whole matter in my mind as deep as possible, like, tie it to a rock and throw it in a well. But I guess he is right. Philippe and his family say so too, so I guess I should listen to them. They might have realized I am not alright. If so many people say so, it must be true. And who am I kidding: if there's something we nations have is memory. A darned good memory. And something like that can't be forgotten as many centuries pass.

I have to say, too, that it all affected me, but not as directly as it did to some others. I do know that Italy, Veneciano I mean, has been through therapy. The hardcore one, the one which requires you to sit in a divan and cry. I believe England also thought of going, but he's so stubborn he must have surely rejected it, and if he accepted he's telling no one. For once, America hasn't gossiped his private matters.

And thinking it all started with a video...

We all got it on our cell phones. We still don't know how they got our numbers. I guess intelligence does know, but they speak such a complicated jargon that I have no idea. As I was saying, we all got that video, okay?

I don't remember very well what it said. I erased it as soon as I watched it. I thought it was a big loss of time. A crazy lady airing her political deliriums on the Internet. Nowadays people have phones and can share their idiocies with the whole world. We believed it was that. It didn't even make it to the order of the day. We didn't think it was so important. We only talked about it in the extra-official groups. Holland told me he just left it to his secret services.

Even today it makes me shiver to think that if we had paid attention to what they were telling us maybe the little guys wouldn't have suffered the way they did, nobody would have died and it would have been like any other Wednesday.

We gathered together in one of those boring summits we are forced to attend. A European one. Russian participated. We, the nations, get public funds, and we have to earn it. We have to negotiate between us, get deals which benefit the citizens who at the end of the day are the ones who pay the phones we use, the suits we wear and the parties we attend. They were recording us with cameras. Some like France love to be recorded. I am partially thankful of my modest position because nobody is there to watch if I yawn, scratch my nose or fart if I want.

As in many other occasions, we had come to a deadlock. Germany wanted to reduce the polluting gas by next year. Russia didn't want to sacrifice the economic prosperity or the well being of his citizens. My house is very cold, I remember he said. I know it. You know it. France knows it too...He had to make that nasty remark. It's always the same: when we get to those matters we just can't reach an agreement, nobody wants to give in. We ended up asking for a break.

I was by Switzerland during the meeting. Behind him was Liechtenstein. This was supposed to be a reunion between the big guys, so small countries such as her had no place there. But Switzerland wanted her to learn. He is convinced that she will be a great nation one day, and she had to prepare herself. I don't doubt it. The girl has makings of an empire. We all had the chance to see it.

As I was saying, Switzerland has always pampered that girl in his own way. She's his little sister after all. And she's a really cute girl. I saw her from the corner of my eye where she didn't disturb, quiet, taking notes even. Unlike Sealand, who we had to kick out because he was always interrupting and running around. Poor Sealand. It's so hard to think about these things! But I'll go on. It will be good to me to let it all out.

Anyway, Liechtenstein wanted to go to the toilet during the pause. She warned Switzerland and left. None of us gave it any importance. She went with her bodyguards. I stayed, talking to Switzerland.

"Do you have change for the coffee machine?" I remember I asked him.

Now I think about it and wish those were the problems of the morning. Having change for the machine.

He said yes. He went back to his place to look for his purse. Poland approached to tell me about a disgusting trend he had seen on the Internet. I don't know whose idea it was to give that guy a smartphone: he only uses it to look for stupid things.

Switzerland was on his way back when the shots were heard.

I recall we didn't hear the first ones. Someone raised a hand to make the person in front of them quiet and listen. We shut up to hear the last three shots. They came from the corridor.

Our bodyguards busted in. Each of them grabbed their corresponding nation.

We didn't know what was happening but followed them anyway. A voice stood up in the crowd. Switzerland's.

"And Liechtenstein?! Where is Liechtenstein?"

"You have to get out of here now!" his bodyguards told him.

But it was well known that Switzerland didn't like bodyguards. He didn't need them. So he got rid of his and ran.

The restrooms were near the room. When we got out, we saw what the matter was.

There was blood on the floor, next to the ladies' room. Liechtenstein's bodyguards were lying on the floor. One, on his stomach, didn't move. The other moved his head a little; I heard later that he didn't make it through the night.

A human barrier prevented Switzerland to approach more. He kept screaming. Where is my sister, where is my sister.

I couldn't see anything else, Klaas and Paul dragged me to the car and drove away from there. In a blink I was at home, and they turned it into a bunker. Nobody could tell me what had happened because no one knew more than what was evident.

That night we got an announcement. Liechtenstein had been kidnapped. Some masked people had broken in and stole her shooting like crazy.

Shit, and that was only the beginning...


	2. Romano I

That lady who became my brother's bodyguard, Miss Fanelli, I didn't like her since the very moment she came along. She was obsessed with him. I know. Hell, she said it to Veneziano herself. She did the day she started working for him.

"I have seen you before. It was in a school trip to the Parliament twenty-two years ago. They told us we were going to meet someone special. It was you. We met you. You were so nice to us, sang century-old songs to us and chatted with us about SpongeBob and things kids like us liked by that time. We talked for so long they had to remind you we had to go home. I still keep the photo we took together, see? I am that girl, the one with the ponytails and the missing tooth."

A lot of time had passed, that is true. She had no more milk teeth to lose. She was even taller than both of us. She had developed. She was not a kid anymore: she was a woman. A woman who should have gotten herself a husband, a home, had children and instead of that she worked out and studied to death, she did a lot of nasty work, swallowed piles of _merda_ until she got to be Veneziano's personal bodyguard.

I don't want to discredit her. I didn't think so at the time because I hated her, but now, with some perspective, I see that becoming our escort is twice more difficult than being royalty guard, and she did it on her own. But it is a full time job, they follow us like they are our shadows. I think it's stupid. We need no one to protect us. It's our bosses, who are too apprehensive since global terrorism started. They don't get to understand we are not like kings or ministers. They look us up and still don't get us. That was Fanelli's problem.

She adored my brother. And when I say she adored him, I am serious. You could see that being with him was what made her life worthy. She looked at him in a way that I found shameless. In little time, encouraged by Veneziano, yeah, she started addressing him informally.

Veneziano noticed, of course. He is dumb, but not stupid. In fact, that is the deal: he knew the passion his guard felt for him.

And what did my brother think of it?

He enjoyed it!

_Fratello_ can be innocent like a child, but he is not. Not entirely. He also has his ego. He likes to be loved and pampered. She looked more like his little friend than his bodyguard. Always talking into each other's ears and murmuring. I am sure they didn't talk about Spongebob.

Things got even more irritating as time passed. Fanelli had become my brother's Mary Poppins. They took long walks together, sang, laughed, cooked, played...

The night the whole world was holding its breath after Liechtenstein's kidnapping, what was Veneziano doing?

I opened the door of his room to tell him they had released a note about it and there I found them. Kissing.

Kissing, dammit.

I can't reproach anything to Veneziano because it was her who was on top of him on the sofa. But he knew perfectly what was happening. Hell, did he know. He had a damned hand on her butt. The fucker was enjoying it.

And what did he say to me when I kicked the lady out and asked him for an explanation?

"But I like Carlotta a lot!"

That's what he said! With a pair!

"I see she brainwashed you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying I don't know how you can like her."

"What I don't get" he said "is how you can not like her. She is kind, funny..."

"She's a human."

"I know, and there's nothing bad about it."

"There are lots of reasons why that's bad."

"Tell me."

"That's not the question. We had enough scandal with Silvio's parties. I don't want to have the press at the door again because of you."

"It is no scandal! She is not a little friend like Silvio's. I want to marry her."

I must have heard wrong.

"What?"

"I want to marry her. Do you think Bergoglio will do us a pretty wedding?"

"What did you say?"

"I want to marry her."

"What?"

"Carlotta Vargas...Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"You are kidding me."

"No."

"You are pulling my leg."

"I swear,_ fratello_."

At that moment I started considering that my brother's hundreds of years were starting to affect his head all of a sudden. Or maybe Fanelli's influence was more worrying than I thought.

"You can't be serious. You can't."

"Why? I love her."

I looked at him, I saw that gleam in his eyes every time he plans something dumb and not even God coming from Heaven would give him some common sense, and I saw that was nothing a ten-minute lecture could solve. I decided to desist.

"They just said they arrested one of the guys involved in Liechtenstein's kidnapping. I don't know if that girl interests you."

"Poor Liechtenstein. I hope they don't do any harm to her."

"Yeah. Well, you know what this is: kidnapping, calls asking for a ransom..."

I ruined my brother's good mood reminding him of that horrible event, I know. I did it on purpose.

Sadly, I spent that night thinking about damned Fanelli, about that absurd idea she got into my brother's head, and how sure I was that he wouldn't stop until he was at the altar with her. Then what, was the question.

I would have never done such a thing. Well, I didn't have the chance, either: my bodyguard Rocco is married, has two children in college and is going bald but, no, I'd never think of hooking up with my bodyguard. And less if I had met her when she was eight. It's weird. It's ugly.

Oh, well, I was almost thankful that things went to hell in so little time. That way I had more stuff to think about than how much I hated Carlotta Fanelli.


	3. Canada I

"Mr. Canada, first of all, thanks for coming."

"N-No, thanks to you for inviting me..."

"These last months must have been tough."

"Yes, a lot...It's...It's been a disaster...Too many funerals and..."

"The psychological sequels, right?"

"...Exactly."

"There are people who believe countries are heartless and I suppose what happened opened many eyes."

"In a way, if it helped people see what we really are...it was partially worth it..."

"Yes, certainly you have received a lot of praise after this. Canada is at last on the map and according to a recent survey Canadians feel prouder of their country than ever."

_(the interviewer is interrupted by the roar of the public, which makes Canada blush; he responds with a gesture with his head)_

"Thank you...Thank you..."

"You are too modest, Mr. Canada. Your contribution was essential to the defeat of the One World Nation Movement."

"Oh, please, I wouldn't say that...There were many other who did much better than I. It was an accident, really."

"Yes, the story of how you infiltrated the enemy's lines is really interesting. That is why we called you, sir. We would love to hear it from you."

"Yes, I suppose it was...really bizarre. I will do what I can...I am not a very good narrator."

"I'll help you. Everything started, it seems, a few days after Liechtenstein's kidnapping, right?"

"That's right. Outside of Europe we were waiting for news. We are used to have our bosses kidnapped, but us...The situation was serious. There was a lot of tension in the air. And that video..."

"True. The videos you have been receiving those fateful days have been released recently. Out of respect for you, we won't show them, but..."

_(the screen behind them shows the picture of a woman no older than thirty, with a ring in her nose and the sides of her head shaved, with a mane in the middle tied in a braid which falls on her shoulder)_

"She has been identified as Martina Ughetti, from Argentina, one of the spokespeople of the movement. You had the chance to meet her personally, am I right?"

"Right..."

"And what did you think of her?"

"She wasn't very nice, to be honest..."

"Comprehensible. Her ideology included the idea that it is necessary to extermine the nations."

"Yes, but...You know what, Phil? I should hate them for what they did but...I can't. There were people like you, like the public there. A lot of stories concerning genocided and wars start like that, see? With common, desperate people..."

"How did you find them?"

"They found me. I was walking down the lane, you see? I was...I was on my way to buy a present to the newborn daughter of my yoga instructor. I take this chance to, uh, say hello to Denis. Yes, I was in the street with no escort, no uniform. Simple jeans and a sweatshirt. I left Kumajiro at home because it was cold and he wanted to stay in with a blanket...Yes, it was a day...it was a normal day...And I found this young man who was giving away pamphlets."

"Pamphlets about the movement, right?"

"He approached me and told me...He told me nations were to blame for everything going on in the world. It was a...let's say passionate lecture. I stayed and listened just not to be rude. I thought he would recognize me at some point, but he didn't. He thought I was one more person..."

"I must say that for those who don't read the press or have never visited a museum a nation can pass as a normal person perfectly. You have adapted completely to the customs of each century."

"That's right. Except for the navel detail..."

"True. Let us remember nations are not born from women, so they don't have a navel. By the way, how is a nation born? Since we have faced the matter of death in nations, what is birth like?"

"Well, I don't remember any of that..."

"Of course."

"But I do know that the National Library keeps a document from the 16th century which compiles a local legend which says that an aboriginal woman, much before the French or even the vikings came along, found me as a newborn in a prairie, alone and naked, and knew I was 'sacred' right when she saw me and took me to her tribe, where they raised me."

"Remember you can see a facsimile of that document exposed at the museum of the Library, mates. Well, back to the movement...So there you were, listening to real atrocities about you, and that dude had no idea of who you were, eh?"

"Yes, it was really uncomfortable..."

"But that man invited you to one of their meetings, which was held that precise afternoon, and you followed him."

"It wasn't really my idea...He liked me...I don't know why, but he liked me. Even if I couldn't say a single word. I was afraid to be recognized in any moment...He grabbed my hand and said: 'you look like a sensible guy, and smart too, with the glasses; come, I'll introduce you to some friends'."

"And you followed him."

"...I had watched the video. I felt a bit curious about...to...know what they wanted exactly. How they would do all the things they talked about. I thought maybe then I could reveal myself as the nation of Canada and refute their arguments...I guess I let myself be carried along because I was too confused. The thing is, there was me, following that man. His name was Youssef. During that time I met the rest of the organization...I got inside of the One World Nation Movement..."


	4. Austria I

"Are you kidding me?!"

They had already told me Switzerland was...annoyed. But his screams could be heard from the bottom of the stairs. The assistant who took me to him gave me a look which told me that he had been acting like that for a long time. He brags so much about his fortitude, until someone annoys him. That is Switzerland for you, I'm afraid. Maybe my presence was not well received but I felt it was my duty to be there. I climbed up the stairs calmly. I am not afraid of Switzerland's bark.

When I got into the room, his president was trying to calm him down but he looked so small and scared in front of Switzerland, who had his hands on the desk and looked like he was about to devour him.

"We let them attack!"

"The video didn't seem like a real thre-"

"You didn't think it is a serious threat that someone skipped all security protocols and sent it directly to our phones?!"

I opened the door after a couple of knocks. Switzerland interrupted his roars. He looked at me as if a pile of manure had just come into the room.

"And what are you doing here?"

"I came to offer you my help" I replied.

"I didn't ask for it. Did you?"

He looked at his president and he blushed.

"What happened is serious and affects us all. I want to bring Liechtenstein back as much as you do."

"I doubt that. She's not your-"

"Switzerland" the president interrupted him, standing up and finally showing some courage. "In matter of security I remind you that it is I who has full control."

Switzerland glared at him. The little man backed down again, but he had enough courage left to say:

"Collaboration with other countries will help us find Liechtenstein safe and sound..."

Switzerland finally started considering things with cool head and, although reluctantly, he ended up saying, crossing his arms:

"Alright..."

I nodded to the president to thank him for interceding for me. I finally had the chance to introduce the man who was following me closely, keeping a prudential distance behind me.

"This is Herr Mühe. He is the best hacker of my house. He will help you find the IPs from which the video was sent."

Mühe nodded humbly. Even if the contrast between him and me was great (he had greasy hair to the shoulders, was badly shaved and wore a tracksuit), I had had the chance to see him at work and I would have put the security of my house in his hands if the big enterprises hadn't been fighting for his services. I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He was the perfect man for that task, discreet, quiet and hardworking. Switzerland evidently didn't like him, but he then looked and me and supposed I wasn't joking by bringing him there, so he nodded.

"Alright. Mr. President, if you don't mind, take Mr. Mühe to the rest of the team."

"Right away."

The president stood up and made Mühe follow him out of the office. They left us alone.

"It was easier to find terrorists before, when there wasn't such a sophisticated technology..." I said to break the ice.

"Now seriously, why did you come here?"

"I told you. If we are in danger, I would like to do something. But that is not important right now. Tell me, did someone call for a ransom or...?"

"Nothing at all" he replied with a frustrated sigh. "They should have told us what they want by now. Darn, I'm starting to think that they took her just to show they are not playing..."

"It is possible."

I took my phone. I wanted to see the video again, analyze it calmly, with someone else. I sat on one of the chair and Switzerland watched behind me.

It was a young lady. No older than thirty. She talked showing her face. Her looks were horrible, as it seems to be the trend among young people these days. I mean, at least Mühe looked like that because he was too busy working. She seemed shady. She didn't even look like a lady.

_"This is a warning to all nations. Yes, you. You have made many mistakes in the past. Mistakes that have cost the lives of millions of people. And what do we do with mistakes? Try not to make them again. You have been given way too many chances and you have been keeping causing suffering to your own people. You get us involved in your wars so our blood is shed while you have fun and live in a luxury your servants can't have access to. Your story is a story of blood. We have come to put an end to it. We are going to build a new world in which we will erase humanity's biggest mistake: having created you. This is our warning: those who created you can destroy you too."_

"So much hate in a person."

"Yes. She looks like an anarchist..."

"No, I don't think so."

"Social justice warrior?"

"Maybe, but those who fight for that cause defend smaller, poor and mistreated countries. We have all received the video. From America to Palestine. They don't want to end imperialism or developed countries. They want to extermine us all."

"And live in a world with no nations?"

"That's what it seems."

"That's impossible."

"Is it?"

Switzerland crossed his arms and meditated in silence.

"Have they interrogated the member of the group who participated in the kidnapping yet?"

"Yes. They caught him in France."

"Did he say something?"

"France made it public this morning. His name is Albert Greenwood. Irish. Former member of the IRA. There comes his knowledge about these kind of tactics. It seems when he was caught, all he did was laugh. Laugh like a maniac. And do you know what he said? 'You're through'."

"Even though I'm taking this very seriously, I don't know how they're going to do it. Destroy us all...How do they plan to do it?"

"Atomic bombs?"

Switzerland clicked his tongue.

"Don't exaggerate."

"Maybe some kind of virus. Remember 13th century's plague."

"Still too fantastic. I don't think they have labs or some way to create something like that. Too big."

"But we have seen they do have weapons and an acceptably well defined organization."

"An armed group, terrorist, alright, but to end nations you need a big scale. And when I say big scale, I mean global scale. It is very difficult to coordinate something like that."

"What if they did."

Switzerland looked at me with a frown.

"You need more than decimating the population to end the feeling of patriotism. You know it well."

They knocked at the door. It was Switzerland's president. He seemed very disturbed.

"What's the matter?" his nation asked him

He said nothing. He carried a tablet in his hand. He simply pressed the play button and looked away, pressing his lips.

What he had seen had impressed him greatly and he wasn't a nation. I...still to this day regret having watched that new video. I looked at Switzerland and saw his face had lost all color.

His lips muttered a name. Liechtenstein.

For the first time in my long life, I saw Switzerland terrified.


	5. Tanzania

I don't want to talk about it. I really don't want to remember it.

(...)

Alright. I suppose...Yes. You deserve to know what happened.

I believed I was one of those countries no one cares about. You know, there are America, Russia, China, England, Germany...And then there's us, those who have no influence in the world, who have no role at the meetings. At that time it seemed like and advantage, you know? If nobody can see you, you avoid a lot of trouble. Those days the big countries were losing their heads over a small principality who had been kidnapped and some videos about a movement which...which claimed it was necessary to start over and build a civilization where there was just one nation. They said all problems would be solved that way.

I didn't give it any importance then, and I regret it.

Not that I could have been able to do anything, but...

I was so calm, okay? Simple having dinner at home. Watching the television. I wasn't doing much.

Then I get this message. I open it and see it's a video.

...Shit...

(...)

Yeah, yeah, gee, give me a second. It's not easy.

Well, the video was filmed in...in...I didn't know where. The sky was grey and the roar of the sea could be heard. The cameraman was filming his own feet, then raised the camera to show a boy who was looking at him with real horror. At first I had no idea of who he was. Then I realized I had seen him in one of those global meetings. He was...I don't remember his name. England used to call him 'the wart on his buttocks'. A kid who was bothering people all the time.

"Why...?"

He didn't get to say anything else. Then...Then...

...

I had never seen a country die until then. It was...something I wish I never have to see again. You know we stay young eternally. Well, it was as if all that extra time God has given you passes in one second. The kid...I don't want to describe it because it's something I really don't want to remember, but he started to decompose, like in fast forward, and just like that, in a blink, he turned into dust. The freaking wind blew him away as if he had never been there, only leaving the clothes.

The voice of the cameraman was heard then. He didn't expect that, that was evident. His breathing was shaking.

But he soon turned cocky. It was something he had done.

"Did you see that, shitty countries?" he croaked behind the camera. "You are not immortal."

I don't know if he said anything else. I threw the phone away. And then I threw up the dinner.


	6. Finland

**Time (Hans Zimmer)**

* * *

We had to see it to believe it. Many countries rushed to the platform where Sealand lived because we needed to see if that was a montage, if there was hope, what...

It was horrible. It was...simply horrible. They didn't let us approach, but we could see the massacre.

There are some ways you can extermine a nation. The one those savages chose was the extinction of its population.

Sealand is...was...a micro-nation. Fifty people only, according to the last census. Very manageable numbers.

As the British army, which was there taking care of everything, explained to us, there was no way to know how many they were. What was clear was that there was at least one man. By the sound of his accent I had the feeling he was Chinese, Asian, I don't know...The important thing is that they used some kind of firearm. They came into the platform. And ended with everyone they came across. They said they finished off those who were alive with a knife. They made sure there was nobody left.

I felt for a moment that the world was crushing down upon me. I had to sit on the floor and hold my head. I don't know for how long I stayed like that.

Then I looked for Mr. Sweden. There he was, standing, as if he had turned into stone. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face on his back. He kept still. After a while he placed his hand on my arm. He didn't say a word. Not even one. A lot of time passed until he talked again.

England's coming got everyone a bit nervous.

He jumped out of the helicopter almost before it landed completely. He ran to the platform. A high command of his army went to his encounter, tried to keep him out. He screamed something. With the heavy sea I couldn't understand what exactly. His prime minister got off the helicopter at last and ran to him to hold him and try to calm him down.

In front of all of us, England dropped on his knees and went completely still, as if they had removed his life at that precise moment.

No one dared to say a thing then, a bit as if it was rude to end that silence. But Japan was already planning a global emergency reunion at his house.


	7. Liechtenstein I

Monday, March 3th

* * *

My brother has done everything possible to distract me and make me forget about what happened, but I don't want to forget. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it...I had heard that before and now I know it is a big truth. I would like this diary to survive for centuries, even after I'm gone, and so whoever reads it knows what everything that happened those days meant.

I will try to reproduce what I heard. It will not be exact, surely, but I will try to write as approximate as possible.

I start by praying for Joseph and Hans, my bodyguards. They tried to defend me and gave their lives for it. I really hope there is a better place for good people like them. They shot them. They were three of four, I am not sure. They came into the ladies' restroom with a bang and dragged me out when I was washing my hands. I found Joseph and Hans on the floor in my way out. I didn't know they were dead yet. I didn't even notice it was them. Everything happened so fast...When I realized, they had taken me out of the building, put into a car and everything went black all of a sudden. They covered my head with a hood. Soon, I felt nothing at all.

When I woke up I was laying on my back. My senses returned slowly. I was on something cold and hard, a gurney, I suppose. I felt cold; then I realized they had removed my clothes. I wasn't able to open my eyes. But I could listen. I could hear everything around me. The voice of a grown man.

"No anomalies in the X-ray. Even her insides are like a child's."

He was talking about me. Then I felt an gloved hand opening my mouth.

"Look. She even has her milk teeth."

"Yeah, yeah, they look like us, but definitely aren't" said another voice, a woman, with an American accent. "But guess they can die as well..."

"I got some archives from Washington concerning a frustrated assassination against America in 2004. Apparently, in visit to Irak, a local man approached him and stabbed him in the temple with a knife while crying 'Death to America'. Here are some photos."

"Urgh, God..." another person muttered, a woman, who sounded younger than the first."

"Well, this is America the next morning."

"...He doesn't even have a..."

"Exactly. Not a scar. It has sense, if you think about it. After all, they are ideas turned into flesh..."

"That is why there has to be a way to destroy the flesh" the first woman insisted.

I heard steps and a door closing. The gloved hand caressed my hair.

"This has to be either God's or the Devil's doing. Making them all so beautiful..." the man said.

"Yes, she is like a little doll. Look at her" the young lady replied, coming closer.

"I won't like to open her insides...But duty calls. Sacrifices have to be made to achieve a greater good..."

I remember feeling terrified at those words. I wanted to scream, but my throat didn't respond. Then I said to myself that I shouldn't try. It was not wise.

Suddenly, I heard screams somewhere. A heavy door opened. A man said very ugly words in French.

"G! What is wrong with M?" the girl asked.

"Something very big happened out there, in Sealand."

"Sealand? What is Sealand?" the old man asked; from now on I will refer to him as Doctor.

"Was! One guy from the Asian group killed him!"

"What did you say?"

"He killed him! He was a damned platform in the middle of the sea! He got in there and took the few people in there out! Bangbangbangbangbang! Shooting at everything! And he recorded and spread how the nation turned into dust!"

"Oh, no! What was he thinking about? Now the world will see us as murderers!" the girl exclaimed. I will call her Nurse, since she was with the Doctor practically all the time.

"I know! That's why M is so mad! She's talking about finding that guy and slice his throat."

"We can't build our new civilization on more human corpses. That would be...making the same mistakes of the past."

"How barbaric..." the Doctor murmured.

"Exactly. So you know..."

"Yes" the Doctor said. "We will find a way so nobody else is hurt."

He caressed my hair again. I understood perfectly what he meant. Nobody but us.


	8. Austria II

England did not attend Sealand's funeral. Nobody blamed him. In fact, it was almost a good choice from him. It is too sad to say goodbye to a child, even an eighty year-old child. And, to my liking, we spoke too little about him and too much about what his murder meant. I won't say death. I say murder.

Switzerland also despised him that way. It was not that he was not sorry for the boy. He was just too scared for what that meant to Liechtenstein. They had her and it was more than likely that they had kidnapped her to do that same thing to her or even worse.

Understandably, the smallest nations were worried. What happened to Sealand could happen to them. An armed enough group could arrive and...

After the burial of the victims came the time to get serious. We met at Japan's house the next day. It was a very somber reunion because no one barely slept. I was standing thanks to caffeine, and I regret to say it left me quite grouchy. When I saw Italy—Veneziano—was dozing on his bodyguard's shoulder, I pulled his curl and told him with bad manners that it was not the time to sleep. I should mention England didn't assist. Sweden did, but if they had placed a cardboard replica no one would have noticed.

"Before we begin, I would like to thank you all for coming with such little notice" Japan opened the session.

"Yeah, as if I could have stayed at home drinking cocoa after this..." Denmark's mutter could be heard.

"Since I don't think it is necessary to remind you why we are here..."

"Where is the man they captured?" Switzerland raised his voice, standing up. "Where did they take him?"

"He's in my place, in a cell" France replied. "I don't think we'll get something out of him, but..."

"Interrogate him again. Get from him what they're going to do next"

"Do you think we haven't done it already? That man is tight-lipped, he's not going to talk."

"Then you'll have to be tougher on him."

"Excuse me, it seemed to me for a second that you were suggesting that we overlooked human rights in this case" Belgium intervened, looking at him with severity.

"It seems that way because that's what I meant. If it's necessary" Switzerland coldly answered.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Oh, please, Suisse, you really don't think I will do that!" France also raised his voice with indignation.

"I remind you that they got Liechtenstein and they may be planning to do to her what they did to Sealand or even worse!" Switzerland insisted, pounding the table.

"Switzerland, we understand you, but..." Finland started to say, but China interrupted him.

"You know what? Switzerland is right. We can lose no more time. We have to tighten his screws as much as it is necessary."

"China, we know you don't usually take pity on those who cross you..." Luxembourg said, "but we established some rules and we can't break them whenever we want. It's not moral. It's not human."

"Right...What about the human rights of the people of Sealand, those these barbarians killed? Please..." Switzerland grunted.

"I'm with Switzerland" America said. "We don't know what they're going to do, we don't know how much time we got until another atrocity happens. We have to go after that bastard and get what we need to know out of him."

"You don't have a clean interrogation history either, America, so shut your mouth" Luxembourg was starting to get angry.

"And what should we do? Put a blanket on him, make him a milkshake and cuddle him, to make it up to because we've been such mean meanies? Screw it! That's what he gets!"

"Darn, I agree with America and I can't believe this day would come...What do you say, fratello?" I heard Italy—Romano—ask his brother. When I turned my head to hush him, I saw he went into a mood because Veneciano was whispering something to his bodyguard. He was smiling. Somehow, despite what we were talking about, he was smiling.

"I'm not letting them kill Liechtenstein! Do you hear me? Take me to whatever tribunals you like!"

With a livid gesture and ignoring the protests of our colleagues, Switzerland left the room with a bang. Someone exclaimed he was crazy. In order to bring some calm, I went after him.

He didn't go far. He was at the building's door, I guess breathing some fresh air. He had a hand on his mouth and the other on his elbow. He was pensive. Containing himself, perhaps.

When I approached, he looked at me from the corner of his eye. I could see his Adam's apple going up and down.

"I'm not burying my sister..." he muttered.

None of us said anything else in a while. It was good to me to get out of that closed space as well. Simply not to think about anything at all.

Finally, I turned to Switzerland.

"Switzerland..."

He didn't look at me this time.

"I told you: I'm going to help you. We will find her together."

"...And you will risk yourself to international punishment for a girl you barely know? For me?"

"For many reasons, actually. But yes. In fact, if someone asks, I will assume all responsibility."

"You can't be serious."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"No, I mean everyone in there has seen how I lost my mind. No one is going to believe I had nothing to do."

"I'll try, at least."

"No. Really. I want to do this personally. I want to look at the man who took Liechtenstein to the face."

"Let's go, then. Let us waste no more time."

We did wrong, I know. We are supposed to act with a consensus. That is what we say on each meeting. We constantly reprimand those nations who take justice into their own hands. But it was a desperate situation. And personal too. I want to believe that if it had been me the one who was kidnapped, at least one of them would have looked for me with the same passion Switzerland looked for Liechtenstein.


	9. Canada II

"I had no idea Sealand was dead when they offered me to join the movement. Had I known, I would have never approached them."

"Where did they meet?"

"In an abandoned factory at the East of Ottawa. Youssef took me there in his car. It wasn't cozy. It looked more like a tramp settlement. But those people were so immersed in their ideas that they didn't care about how comfortable it was as long as they could work somewhere. They got to reestablish the electricity and mounted some furniture."

» "By the way" he told me when we got out of the car, "what's your name?" That question took me out of guard. I could have given him my official name, but for some reason I said: "Jim. Jim Carrey". "Like the actor?" he said with a smile. And yeah. Truth be told, that was the first name that came into my mind.

» "My name is Youssef. But here we don't use our real names. Those pigs are spying on us all the time and we have to make things as difficult as we can to them, don't you think? So here they call me A, for Aabidou, which is my surname. You'd be C. Wait, we already have a C...You'll be J.C then. I'm glad you joined the movement. We are making great progress in such little time!"

» "How long have you been here?" I asked, gazing at some sleeping-bags in a corner. "Two years", he told me. I was lost for words. They had been planning our destruction, organizing themselves, right in front of me, and I hadn't noticed. I felt like an idiot, really. I wanted to ask Youssef more questions, when that man appeared. He was a tall, muscled close-cropped cut. One of his hands was missing and he had some kind of hook in its place. I knew from the very moment I saw him that man had fought in a war. He had that look. Those who have fought in a war have a certain something, you know? Well, that man approached us and asked who I was. Youssef told him I wanted to join the movement. I nodded. Then that man, who Youssef had called G, looked at me from head to toes. That's it, he got me, I said to myself. But no, he placed his remaining hand on my shoulder instead and smiled at me. He gave me a warm welcome. And told me I looked like a college guy and that was fine, universities are a good place to spread ideas. He lost no more time with me, he had places to be. He asked Youssef to ask me around.

"That man..."

"Some time after we found out his name was Igor Greszczyszyn. Infantry soldier of my brother America's army, Georgian ancestry. He fought at the Gulf war, there he lost his hand. And his younger brother. He was one of the most dangerous members of the movement, not only from the continent, but in the whole world. Not only he knew war tactics, he had visceral hatred for all of us. He blamed us for his sacrifice being for naught."

» There is so much more about Greszczyszyn, but let's go back to Youssef. He showed me around. They had used these two years of hidden activity well: they had built their own printer with which they made pamphlets and signs they spread in the streets, gave lectures to interested people like me, even gave food to the poor as a way to win their favor and make them join them.

» "But are you sure we can get rid of the nations?" I asked him. "I studied History, I know there's been attempts of...". "But now we are in the 21st century, we are stronger, we have technology and are many" he said. Every time he spoke about what they planned to do his eyes shined. Like everyone there, he really believed in the movement, that it would being a much better era. He introduced me to everyone we came across. I met C, Q, Z, P...They came from all parts of the continent. As they told me, the movement was divided into continents and Ottawa was their base of operations. It had to be my home...

"There was people from all sides of North and South America?"

"Well, yes. Americans, Brazilians, Guatemalan, Venezuelan, Cuban, even people from my own house. Then I found out there was no country which didn't have a very active member. It made me think...about how none of us was free from judgement...

» "I went down well with Youssef. I don't know why but he liked me so, so much. He offered me a drink. We sat to talk. He asked me about my life. I lied to him, of course. I told him I was in college and was fed up of the same old story, countries being the good guys, after so many bloody wars. That I really believed that we had to reset this system. He couldn't agree more. "Those pigs do nothing but disappoint us. It is time to get rid of them" he told me. "But they are immortal or something" I reminded him. And I told him about those paintings from the 19th century in National Gallery in which Canada, that is me, appears just like today.

» He laughed. He told me nations die too. And he grabbed his cellphone and showed me a video. I had no idea about that one. I hadn't had the time to look at the phone.

"The video in which it is seen how Sealand disappears?"

"...Yes..."

_(a tense silence gets over, the host covers his mouth with a hand)_

"It wasn't a nice way to find out...And...I got so sick Youssef asked me if I was alright."

» "I understand" he told me. "Truth be told, it is not pretty to see". "He was just a child!" I remember I said. "Only in appearance, my friend. Remember they are not real people. They only look like it. Look, that they did to that little one was horrible, okay? I admit it. We didn't want something like that to happen. Some idiot from the Asian faction came in and massacred everyone in there. Eliminate those who feel Sealish or whatever the hell they're called, and you will eliminate Sealand. We don't want that, okay? We want to end genocides. Erase all race, religion and origin difference. We don't like this a little. Changes have to come from the citizens themselves. But this is pretty illustrative. It helps people and nations realize they are not gods. They can die as well. Understand?". I pretended I did, but I kept feeling like I was about to faint. Sealand, Sealand, oh, God, Sealand, I thought. I couldn't stop thinking of him.

» He placed a hand on my shoulder. "We have a meeting tomorrow" he told me. "We count on you. Come on, I'll take you home". And he did. I asked him to leave me at the University. When he left me alone, I sat on a bench. I thought I was going to lose conscience right there.

"You could have simply washed your hands of all that matter. Call National Security and let them do the rest."

"That is what I thought at first. What happened to Sealand had impressed me a lot and I didn't even want to think about what they would do if they found out who I was. But I called the president, told him what happened and it was me who told him that I would keep on pretending. Since they had accepted me, I would assist their meetings. It was crazy, I know but...at that moment I thought any other option would have been cowardly."


	10. Romano II

I hated that bitch a bit more each day. I know I shouldn't talk about her that way, but that's what I thought she was. A bitch. A witch, if that's better for you. She had brainwashed my brother completely. He didn't seem to care much about Sealand, what that meant to us. He said he was very sad, but acting like it wouldn't bring him back. He got philosophical, the asshole. Fanelli came and said she tried to comfort him, because he is like a big child and didn't want him to get stressed.

"Yes, poor guy, don't let him get stressed..." I grunted.

I found her alone once at the kitchen. Veneziano was playing video games. He was hooked on them, so I had the chance to talk to her without any interruptions.

"I'll get you fired."

I told her directly, yes. And I don't regret it. That gal had to learn who was the boss.

"Why?"

"I'm sure there's a rule which says boss and employee can't have an affair."

"Well, I..."

"I know why you want to marry him. I've seen it in many movies. The idiot but loaded husband."

She blushed. Just like a tomato.

"...He...told you?" and she even acted like she was shy.

"Of course he told me! He doesn't know how to keep secrets!"

"Well, no...Oh, my goodness, I didn't think he'd..."

"Right. Don't play innocent now."

"But it is true! I didn't know he had in mind that we got married! Oh, Feliciano..."

Urgh.

"Your idea or his, I'm not letting you keep bothering my brother anyway."

"But Lovino..."

"Signor Italia for you."

"Alright, signor Italia. But what did I do to you?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"I love you both, I've tried not to disturb...Are you jealous?"

I felt heat going up my collar.

"Jealous! Me! Jealous! I can't believe my ears! Jealous of my idiotic brother!

I didn't realize Veneziano was at the door, with the headphones around his neck, until Fanelli turned her head to him.

"...Romano..." he muttered.

"I'm not jealous of you, okay?! I simply think what you're doing is against nature! That's it! I said it!"

"...Spain is dying..."

I never stopped being angry so quickly.

We got the private jet to Madrid immediately. I didn't want Fanelli to come but apparently things were complicated in Spain and we would need escorting. During the trip Veneziano simply told me before going quiet that Cuba had called.

There were problems there indeed. The driver who took us from the airdrome to Spain's house had the radio on and we could hear something about some revolts in some important squared of the country. I thought it was the independentists and the protests about politics and pensions and stuff. But it was something more serious and I didn't know until we got to the house.

When we got there, we met his ex-colonies. I know some of them wished to see the day Spain kicked the bucket but at the moment no one seemed happy at all.

'Shit, shit', I remember that's what I thought when I came into the room and saw him in his bed. He didn't even look like himself. He looked like an old man, a sick and withered dude who simply bore some resemblance. He didn't look like Spain. That couldn't be Spain. Where was his smile? His skin seemed ashen. Philippines held his hand, about to cry. Spain didn't even have the strength to take it.

Portugal took Veneziano and me aside.

"It's the movement, you know? It's getting very strong in here. You know he's been complaining about only being able to show his flag around when he won some sport event, because of it association with Franco's regime, yes? Then the issue with Catalunya, right versus left, the memory of the empire...Some graffitis have appeared in his monuments. More and more people want to start over.

I didn't know what to say. Veneziano approached Spain.

"_Españita, amigo_..."

Spain tried to smile, he really tried.

"_Españita_...That's what the few friends I have left call me...He...Have you watched the news? They're singing Manolo Escobar, Que viva España, in the Spain Squares of the cities..._Qué majos, me cago en la leche_..."

"See? You still got friends, you're not through" Argentina told him with trembling voice.

"Come on, cabrón, you are a miura" Mexico tried to cheer him up. She elbowed him softly, because he didn't seem like he was going to resist a stronger one.

"I don't know...I think Judgement Day is finally here, you know?"

"Shut up. Stop saying nonsense" Cuba exclaimed.

"Truth is I'm sorry I let my people down...Seeing things from certain perspective, I did very ugly things..."

"You're delirious" Peru said.

"No. I, like Don Quixote, die sound of mind...Ay, my God, I hope they don't burn it when they break everything up...It's big but it's good..."

It was kind of difficult to approach and speak.

"Quit it, Spain, don't be so dramatic, you've been through worse."

I'd swear his smile grew wider when he recognized me, but what do I know? I thought I was delirious myself.

"I did very ugly things...To you all..."

"No" Colombia was crying. She tried to stop it, but couldn't. "You were not that bad...compared to others..."

Spain leaned back. He needed help for that.

"At least we are all together once again, like in the old times..."

I didn't want to leave, but someone came, I don't know who, and told us he needed to rest, we were too many there.

Spain's king and his wife were in the house. The president was absent, making lots, lots, lots of phone calls. When Veneziano and I left the room, they came to us.

"What is happening to him?" the queen asked. "He won't...go through what happened in the video, right?"

She looked at Veneziano, saw him with his head down and that was enough response to her.

"It's been leaked" Holland told us. "In Internet and television people have seen how Sealand turned into dust...Damn it..."

"Is there any way to stop this?" the king asked. "Something we can do?"

He really seemed desperate and nervous, but we could give him nothing to hold onto.

"We...We don't know" Portugal replied for us. I could see a shiver running down his spine.

"What about us? Is there something we can do?"

Veneziano looked at me with his eyes wide open, terrified like a little rabbit in front of a car's headlights.

I couldn't answer to him, because then Venezuela lost balance.

"Venezuela!"

We understood instantly. The seed of revolution was inside of her too. The weed that would kill us all. Venezuela was pale, Cuba and Paraguay grabbed her before she fell flat to the floor.

That was the answer. I couldn't have said it better.


	11. England I

"Artie!"

They used to call me Archie until little Sussex was born; then I became Artie for the little princes.

I don't know who opened the door for them. I suppose the Duke only needed to order it to the security guards. He was the heir to the throne after all.

When I raised my head I found three little faces looking at me with sadness and worry. Little Louis was too small to understand what happened but saw all the family concerned, saw me sat at the armchair of the living room letting hours pass by, and knew there was something wrong.

"Don't be sad, Artie!" his brother said to me while he patted my knee.

Charlotte hugged me, Louis imitated her. Somebody taught them they had to do that to people who were sad. It worked, partially. They made me draw something similar to a smile for the first time in a week. I hugged them. They were so innocent and kind...Just like their father and uncle back in the day.

I turned my head to the door and there I found the parents. Seeing I didn't reject the little ones they approached.

"How are you, Arthur?" the Duchess asked me, placing her hand on mine.

I didn't reply. I just sighed. I still had an arm around Charlotte.

The Duke gestured at his wife and she nodded. She gave me a last compassionate look before taking the children out. 'Daddy and Artie have to talk about grown-up stuff" she said to him. George and Charlotte, of course, wanted to know exactly what. I don't know what excuse their mother used.

They closed the door and the Duke and I stayed alone. He sat at the armchair by my side with a sigh. I couldn't help smiling internally. I had seen his grandmother at his children's age, then his father, then him and his brother; I don't know how many times I played tag you're it in that room and did History homework by his side. Now he approached me like a father who comes into his teenage son...

"It isn't good that you isolate yourself this way, Arthur..." he told me.

I shrugged.

"I'm an island" I simply said.

He smiled. Shortly.

"Nothing of what happened is your fault."

I didn't want to talk about it, it hurt too much, but he insisted.

"Look at me, Arthur: what happened to Sealand was not your fault."

"...I said things to him that I now regret, William..." I said with a tiny voice. I felt my throat burning again.

"I know" he sighed. "I know how it feels..."

"I know I've been skipping the protocol, but..."

"Don't worry about it. My grandmother has told you already to take as much time as you need. She knows these days are being hard for you."

"I should be out there, smiling, showing everything is alright..."

"But it is not."

"When bombs fell all the time over our heads..."

"They didn't kill any brother of yours."

I made the effort not to cry in front of him. Really, the last thing I wanted was to cry in front of someone whose diapers I had changed, who trusted me to guide him. I was tired of crying all day long.

"Harry and Meghan are on their way here."

"They didn't have to..."

"You didn't pick up the phone. They were worried."

"They should worry about themselves."

"Ah...Do you know about the pamphlets?"

"Of course I know."

'Down with monarchy. Power to the people." They had covered Piccadilly with those sheets like a carpet. And they had glued signs even at the gates of the royal palace.

"All royal houses have been targeted..."

"We won't leave you, Arthur. You know you can count on us."

"What if they do to you what they did to the Romanov?"

"Maybe. I'm not going to lie: people are a bit tense. Nothing seems sacred anymore. But you've still got people who love you."

"They're judging me, William."

"Don't be silly."

"They're digging out the filth from the past."

"You shouldn't read the tabloids now. You're in no condition to-"

"William, look around you. Look at all these portraits, the maps, the bloody hunting trophies. People this millennium, the new generation, are disgusted by all of this. For them there is no difference between what happened two years ago and two centuries ago. They believe someone like me has no place in the modern world..."

"You should rest, Arthur, I am serious."

"Closing my eyes won't make things-"

"Arthur" the Duke looked at me with severity. I did look like the young boy and him, like the experienced old man. "Seriously. Get out of here sometime, breathe some fresh air. Stop reading things that will hurt you. I won't tell you to stop mourning, but don't fall into self-pity. You are not like that."

He smiled.

"We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans..." he started to recite.

And he got me there. He got to make me smile.

"We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills..."

"We shall never surrender", we said together.

We hugged. We had left these shows of affection for the private sphere long time ago. We both have a reputation to maintain. It is because of things like that that it makes me sad that children grow up.

The embrace had a good effect on me. I was starting to need some human warmth. He gave me a last pat on the shoulder and left me.

I wish he hadn't. Grim thoughts came back to me. I thought I loved William more than just a pupil: a son, a little brother. And that made me think of Sealand.

I stood up and sighed. I wandered the living room. I stared at a photography on the mahogany console table, dated from 1909, of a safari in Africa. There was I, dressed for the occasion, smoking a pipe under the sun, with a rifle on my shoulder. Crazy times, those, when taking a photo was a tiresome process and the result was in sepia. And, above all, those times when I didn't give a hoot about anything. If someone was offended by my hobbies, it was their problem. I did things my way.

I suppose the movement was right about that. It was time to pay.

But why Sealand? He barely had any history. He had done nothing bad. He was annoying, but just like any other child...He was a child...

I hugged myself. I felt so cold...I wished the family hadn't left. I wished I had the courage to ask them to stay...

They knocked at the door. It seemed they heard my plea. I breathed deep. I fought the tears which struggled to come out. I walked to the door and opened it.

Someone pointed at me with a gun.


	12. Belarus

Even though he wanted to talk to my brother privately, I wouldn't have left him alone for anything in the world, so he had to deal with it. My presence was uncomfortable to him. What did he have to hide?

Nevertheless, he went straight to the point and left it all clear.

"Your request is surprising to me, Latvia, honestly...After all the mean things you've said about me since you left the Union..."

Russia's fine grin seemed to freeze the guts of that pathetic, puny nation. But he got to find some determination somewhere in his little body.

"Sir..." he started to say.

Russia interrupted him with a gesture of his hand.

"But" he said "I accept. Yes. What you are asking me is fair and I will do it."

Latvia breathed deep, as if he had gotten great weight off his shoulders.

"Thank you, Mr. Russia..."

"This conversation will stay between us. Trust Miss Belarus. She won't say a thing to anybody. Right?"

I shook my head. He knew I wouldn't.

"Just tell me, Latvia...I thought you were a pacifist, that you condemned violence like all democratic countries."

Latvia looked away with shame. No. It was not shame. At least not completely. There was rage, so much rage. I could see it when he said with his eyes wet:

"They massacred my friend. They don't deserve compassion."

That was only an example of how disturbed people were back then. I suppose that Baltic thought that, since revolutionary ideas were spreading in his house, if he had to die, at least he would do all possible to avenge his fallen friend. He didn't have a powerful army, but my brother...

Some dirt bags being capable of destroying nations...I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Neither did Russia. Since the very beginning he took things very seriously and started to plan what to do.

"It is clear that we can't do this alone. But together..."

Did he want to restore the Soviet Union? I thought that was what he wanted in the first moment, until he revealed his plans to me.

"I'm going to pay an old friend a visit, are you joining me?"

China had been efficient. World organizations would disapprove, but there was no doubt he didn't lose any time. Using his most advanced technology and his best investigators, they got to find the man who filmed the video in which Sealand was killed.

Geng Mu. Thirty-four years old. From Fuzhou. China's own house. That was what irritated China the most. Someone born from his own bosom being implicated in the destruction of one of his kind.

His men used all methods to get information from him, even those the UN condemned energetically. Mu resisted somehow. He didn't stop acting like a cock, screaming threats. "Your empire of evil is coming to an end, China."

Since they got nothing from him, the Chinese government executed him publicly with a shot in the neck. Everything with its nation's approval.

"Justice has been made. Partially."

When we got to Beijing, China was inspecting the troops. His army was loyal to him. Maybe there were protests in the streets but his army, which trusted him, was ready to crush them. The Western world looked at China those days and trembled at the sight of all those men and women swearing to die for China if it was necessary.

"Unfortunately, a dead man can't say much. I don't know if you missed that detail" Russia said, admiring that grid of people in uniform saluting him.

"I wouldn't have had him executed if I had believed he could be of any use. He was probably a lone wolf. He believed in what the One World Nation Movement promulgates, but he didn't like being subject to a hierarchy. For what we know, he had strong anarchic tendencies. He only wanted to see the world blow up.

Rusia clicked his tongue. "How lovely", he muttered with evident sarcasm. Or maybe not. One never know with my brother.

"I don't think you came here to lecture me in the name of the UN" China said, turning around to look at my brother. He was courteous to me, but both of them behaved as if I was not there, as if I was Russia's shadow. Much in my favor.

"No. I came here to propose you an alliance."

"Not a good time to debate economic agreements."

"I am not talking about economy, China."

"Oh. I get it. And your bosses, what do they think about your visit about non-economic issues?"

"Nothing. Because they don't know about it."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bad boy."

"I am fed up of having to explain myself all the time. And more in an issue like this, which they have no idea about. Do they?"

China nodded with an absent expression.

"Let us suppose they win. The movement got its revolution. They eliminate us. There is nothing left of us but dust to wipe with the vacuum cleaner. They destroy our monuments, overthrown our princes, dismantle our institutions, burn our chronicles, in conclusion, destroy all trace of our existence. They create that new world they want, with no frontiers, no religions, no race distinctions, no ideological or political rivalries. Just one nation, if any. What would that nation, which represents the feelings of a world with is different every two steps, be? I wouldn't like to meet him."

"Yes. Me neither. That is why I think it is convenient to do everything so that world, as pretty as it sounds, won't become true. I appreciate life I have built too much."

"Too bad the rest of the world doesn't seem ready to act with a heavy hand when it is needed."

"Well, everyone except..."

A fine wrinkle appeared in China's brow.

"I hope we're not talking about who I think we are talking about..."

"He will love to have the chance to act like the hero."

"He's only going to be a burden. I don't like his methods. His president uses Twitter too much."

"Brother" I opened my mouth for the first time in all the meeting, grabbing his arm, because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Do you really think it's a good idea to get that...?"

"Calm down you two. I know you are both mad at him, but you know the saying: 'desperate times call for desperate measures'."

"You have to be really desperate to ally yourself with America" China sighed.

"Well, look at it this way: if we collaborate all together, we will get rid of a big problem and you will keep on hating him like before. With a bit of luck, we will have the chance to save him and he will owe us a favor" Rusia giggled.

China shrugged. He turned to look at his army once again and I noticed his stare. The stare of someone who has been alive for millenniums and not by chance. Of someone who has been using his wit and physical strength to avoid disappearing in a hostile world.

Yes, China and my brother would be indestructible together.

I didn't understand why it was needed to get America involved. They would manage alone. Maybe because of geographic convenience? Whatever reasons he had, I was sure my brother knew what he was doing. I trusted him. There was nothing and no one I would trust more in the whole world.

"Are you going to see America now, brother? Come home. These have been some tiring days. Some rest will be good for us."

"No, I'd better get this done as soon as possible. Crush this revolution before it crushes us."

"You are right. In that case, I'm going with you."

"No. Please. I'd rather you stay in Europe and do something for me..."

"Anything you want."

"Go see Ukraine, please."

That was totally unexpected to me. I looked at him to the eyes and I did not see in them the determination he had before to suffocate the flame of the movement, but...

"Take care of her, okay? Just...don't tell her I asked you."

What could I say but nod?

Only that...I had had a video-call with my sister at the beginning of that week and she had made me promise, with tears in her eyes, that I wouldn't let anything happen to our brother...

...

I hoped when all of that was over wars between brothers would not exist anymore...I really hoped so...


	13. Liechtenstein II

**Wednesday, May 5th**

They offered me to give a speech at the homage to the victims of the revolution. Switzerland has replied for me, saying I wouldn't do it. I am still considering assisting anyway. He is always keeping an eye on me! A lot of time has passed but I believe it is him who hasn't gotten over it.

Not that it's been easy. There are still some mornings when I wake up and thank God for not being in a metal table with people around me talking about the methods that could kill me. I appreciate more than ever my little house, my soft and warm bed and the staff who works at home, which takes care of me nicely.

When I opened my eyes in that place, I didn't find a cozy room. Absolutely.

It looked like a basement. Then I found out it really was. A small basement with humidity spots and leaks, which they had equipped with medical utilities. I didn't know what half of them did. Everything was so dark. Over my head was the only source of light: a mobile lamp.

It took them a bit to see I was awake. They had their backs on me, simply reading. It was the Nurse, when she turned around to take something from a table, who saw my eyes were open.

"Mr. V! She's awake!"

Now I could see what she was like. As I suspected by the sound of her voice, she was a young lady. She had blond hair and pretty blue eyes. I liked the way she dressed. Having found her in another occasion, I would have said she was very pretty and her porcelain face inspired tenderness and goodness to me.

I tried to stand up. My body barely responded. All I could do was sit and cover my bare chest. The man turned around as if he had waited for me to open my eyes for so long. He left what he was doing immediately and giving a clap out of enthusiasm he came to me. He was fat and had a beard like Santa Claus'. His face was filled with wrinkles.

Ahora que podía ver pude saber cómo era. Tal y como sospechaba al oír su voz, era una mujer joven. Tenía el pelo rubio y unos bonitos ojos azules. Me gustaba cómo vestía.

"Ah, my little one, welcome!"

"W-Who are you?" I babbled.

"A friend. Just a friend."

"What is this place?" I insisted.

"Our playground."

"Please, let me go."

"Oh, no, my dear, I'm so sorry, but I can't let you go. We've taken so much trouble to bring you here, precious."

"Please..." the Nurse tried to push me back to the table. I fought. "Please!"

"It is really amazing, how much she looks like a defenseless child..." the Doctor said, not moved at all.

"I am more and more convinced that what Ñ said the truth" the Nurse said, "that thing about them being so beautiful so they can manipulate us. A self-defense mechanism."

"She is so pretty..." the Doctor caressed one of my cheeks and that encouraged me to fight more.

"Focus, Mr. V."

"Alright. It's time to use the ropes."

They tied me up. Since I wouldn't stop moving, they tied me up. I screamed, I fought, and it was useless. I had those two people on me, staring at me. I felt like one of those stuffed bugs they have inside a frame...with a needle through them.

"We were reading about you. Well, well, I am very old myself, but you are much older than I am. Independent since 1806. A country with a constitutional monarchy from Central Europe. Not a member of the European Union, it seems. That's a pity, did they require minimum height? I'm joking, my dear. Oh, I can see in your eyes the pretty meadows and the Alps..."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Did you see that, A? She makes lots of questions, like any other child."

"But she is not" she replied.

"No. That is true. You see, little miss, we know your position in the world is quite modest. Always in the shadow of a bigger nation. But now you've got the chance to make a great contribution. You could help humanity."

"Please, let me go..."

"We have examined your body already. We practiced some incisions while you were sleeping. You recovered so quickly. The survival rate of a nation at war is 100%, apparently. But this is a new century. We practice a new kind of work, you know? Psychological. You've got lots of friends, but those friends could change their mind about you. And what happens when a very big group of people changes their mind about their nation? Does Yugoslavia ring a bell to you?"

"Please..."

"Oh, look at that face, A. Isn't she lovely?"

"If you behave, little one" the Nurse looked at me from above, blocking the light for an instant, "we may use anesthetic with you."

"Yes, because we still have to carry out some tests. Don't look at me like that, dearie, it is completely necessary. No nation has ever offered themselves for a scientific examination. We had to pick some volunteers sooner or later."

At that moment I was so terrified I stopped fighting and started crying and calling my brother. Switzerland, where are you, Switzerland, Switzerland.

The Doctor looked at me and sighed.

"She's a little angel..." he said.


	14. Austria III

«How are you? I heard about that surrounding of your Congress»

«It's nothing. I'm fine»

«Send me a self-portrait»

«No. And the name is selfie, old man. By the way, I hope you could give Switzerland some common sense»

Switzerland looked at me from the corner of his eye and gave me a look of disapproval.

"Did you fall into that junk's trap too?"

«Be careful», I texted Hungary before turning off the screen.

"I am not playing game precisely" I replied. "Those were news from China. He executed the man who filmed the video in which they killed Sealand."

"What?! Oh, shit, no..." Switzerland exclaimed, and leaned his head forward to hit the wheel with it. "Who told him to do that?! We needed him alive!"

"I know. But we are no one to speak. Remember what we are about to do."

"But I'm not going to kill him."

"Just hurt him really bad if he does not cooperate, right?"

Switzerland started bickering. That is, his natural state.

"I will do what I have to do."

"Sure..."

There was silence inside of the car. Switzerland didn't turn on the radio. Me neither. We were not in an amusement trip, so music was not welcome at that moment.

"Did you know they gave this matter a name? They call it Judgement Day."

For the first time all that issue started I saw Switzerland laugh.

"Yes, maybe the day in which we pay for our sins has come at last..."

"You don't seem worried."

"If they want to judge me, I'm alright with it. I can't say anything else. I did what I thought was best for my people. If it turns out I did wrong...I will accept any decision they take."

I nodded.

"Well said."

"And you? What do you have to pay for?"

"I suppose being an imperialist, which is very reproachable nowadays...Having collaborated with Germany and his fascist colleagues during World War II...Being Hitler's cradle..."

"If it makes you feel better, you also brought Mozart up."

"What about Schwarzenegger? Good or bad?"

We couldn't help giggling at that. I don't remember when we last laughed together, the last time we casually talked. Those days laughter was very scarce and necessary.

We arrived to the prison where they kept Greenwood, a maximum-security prison, in West Île-de-France. They recognized us instantly, we didn't even need to identify ourselves. Our arrival caused a great impression and soon almost all the staff came to us to say hello or simply watch us. The biggest authority there, mister Blanc, a short man with a toothbrush mustache (I thought they were out of fashion due to my infame son), met us immediately.

"What you are asking me is so little orthodox..." he said to us.

"Here we have a document signed by our ministries in which they authorize us."

Switzerland gave the man the paper and monsieur Blanc examined it with an eyebrow raised. He gazed at us. Finally, he folded the paper and made us a gesture.

"Follow me."

We did it. We waited while they prepared the interrogation to Greenwood.

"How long till they realize it is a falsification?" Switzerland asked to my ear.

"I'd say the duration of a phone call to our bosses" I replied.

"Enough to me."

The employee standing by the door gestured at us. I breathed deep and I followed Switzerland into a small room with no windows, where there was only a table with two chairs, one in front of the other, and a lamp hanging over it.

One of the chairs was taken by a man around fifty years old who was handcuffed, but not scared at all. A very irritating characteristic of that man was how calm he was. He had thick eyebrows and hadn't shaved in some time. His face inspired sadness but it was mostly due to his physiology, rather than his mood. Like many other members of the One World Nation Movement, he was an insolent man. When he saw us come in he looked at us inquiring. Then, he smirked. Switzerland sat in front of him. After a second in which he chose the most adequate words, he said:

"You know who we are, am I right?"

"Your faces are everywhere. Switzerland and Austria."

"Good, because we know who you are too, so we can skip introductions. You were involved in Liechtenstein's kidnapping. Correct?"

"Do you believe in God, nations?"

"And you let yourself be captured so your partners could escape with her...What was that? 'Die for Ireland'? Not anymore?"

Greenwood frowned, evidently irritated by that mention.

"Yes, there was a time when Ireland meant something important to me."

"So what happened? Ireland didn't thank you for the blood you spilled in his name?"

"He did what you guys do best: disappoint."

"So now instead of having it in for England, you want to erase all nations. A very childish tantrum" I judged.

"Yeah, thanks for your opinion" Greenwood looked at me and leaned forward to look at me closely, not getting up completely. "We are many. We are everywhere. Together we are invincible."

"From someone who has lived many centuries more than you: in the end all revolutions come to nothing" Switzerland said with a scornful expression.

"Not this time."

"That's what they always say."

"This time we are not fighting for a country or an economic system. We fight for ourselves. Humanity altogether. We want to reset it. Start from scratch. Erasing..." he pointed at us with one of his fingers with dirty nails "errors of the past."

"I suppose Liechtenstein is one of those errors of the past, but why kidnapping her? You didn't need to take Sealand to kill him."

"Hehehe...Didn't you find that brat's face hilarious, when he saw he was starting to rot?"

Switzerland stood up abruptly to punch him, no doubt, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Party is over and you're not that merry, eh?" Greenwood kept smiling in that irritating way. Luckily, Switzerland pulled himself together.

"There were dozens of bigger nations inside of that building. Why her?" I asked.

"Ask the guy who does the procedure. He's got something with little girls. I guess he chose the kid because he thought she was cute."

"What guy?" Switzerland asked.

"What procedure?" was the question I chose.

"Do nations bleed? Answer is yes, we have seen that already, is well documented" Greenwood replied, and laughed. "But where is the limit of what can be done to a body like yours? Liechtenstein is going to tell us."

"_Fils de pute!_" Switzerland roared.

And before I had the chance to hold him again, I saw he was aiming at Greenwood with his gun. He had the barrel pressed against that man's sweaty forehead. He laughed like the worm he was.

"Switzerland!" Switzerland pushed me aside with his free hand.

"Tell me where she is right this instant or I'll decorate this room with your brains!"

"If the cold didn't freeze their balls they may have finished the job by now..." Greenwood wouldn't stop until Switzerland shot him between the eyebrows. That's what it seemed. If that was not the case, I do not understand that suicidal insolence he displayed.

"Switzerland!"

"You shut up" he told me.

"You'll see her soon in Hell, don't worry."

Sure Greenwood wanted Switzerland to kill him. Luckily, Switzerland didn't fall for that, as furious as he was. His hand trembled. I thought he would pull the trigger. Instead, he breathed deep and put the weapon down. Greenwood kept on smiling, that pig.

"The country of chocolate. You've got a weapon, but you don't have the balls to use-"

He didn't finish the sentence because Switzerland punched him in the mouth.

I don't know how he wanted to carry on with the interrogatory leaving the prisoner toothless, but it didn't last longer, anyway. The door open and not only was monsieur Blanc there looking at us. France himself came into the room and stopped just a few centimeters away from us, placing his hands on his hips with a not very friendly expression. He looked at Greenwood.

"You're all a bunch of faggots..." he muttered, gazing at him with disgust, and spat blood on the table, probably missing a shot that was meant for us.

France then looked at us.

"Get out."

I came out first. Switzerland gave Greenwood a last look.

"When the moment comes, I'll shove that gun up your arse, blondie" I heard him say.

Switzerland didn't respond to that threat. We came out of the room and faced France's severe look, who moved a lock of hair away from his face as he let out a tired sigh.

"And I thought I could spend one night, just one night, at home, peacefully, relaxed...I thought you were the sensible ones, what the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Everything necessary to get a confession" Switzerland replied.

"Sure. And now that punk will claim he's been tortured and the UN will come and make my life a living hell. Austria, you surprise me, I really didn't think you'd do something like this."

"Not that I approve Switzerland's methods but I believe the situation is desperate and we have to act" I replied. "We don't know if Liechtenstein has much time left."

"Her royal family is safe, there are vigils for her every night, if you bothered to inform yourself before coming in here like you were cops from one of America's testosteronic movies..."

"He said they kidnapped her to hurt her, I'm not waiting in a corner to wait for all those damned politicians to agree-" Switzerland said.

"_Suisse_, don't get in my face, I'm not in the mood for this bullcrap!" France interrupted him and took a cigarette pack from one of the pockets of his pants. "Damn it, I'm coming back to the vice and you're not helping..." he lit a cigarette and exhaled the smoke with bitterness. "Pray that this ratbag doesn't go cry to International Amnesty, the Human Rights Tribunal, whoever. No, don't pray. Because he will. Congratulations, gentlemen, there will be an investigation and he will surely be released due to irregularities in his detention. You just wrecked the case."

"Not everything is lost" I said.

"If you had given my men a bit more time with him..."

"Listen, France. Maybe I got heated in there" Switzerland said in a more conciliatory tone, "but you can't expect me to listen to those guys threatening me and my sister just like that."

"_Putain, Suisse_, I understand you perfectly..." France sighed, running a finger on his lagrimal. "Between you and I: was it in my hand, I too would have beaten him up until he confessed even his bank account."

He looked at us then said in low voice:

"Just...Be careful, alright?"

Those were bad times for France. We were too busy thinking about Liechtenstein to know what things were like at his house. We didn't know back then that some protesting groups had joined the One World Nation Movement, which had promised that their wishes would come true in a new world order, and had turned the streets of Paris into a battlefield. We didn't know he couldn't get out of his house without having bricks taken from the streets aimed at his head. Had we known, we would have tried not to give him more headache.

We could get out of there with no more consequences. We had missed calls from our bosses. We had to return them. They didn't say anything nice to us.

But we didn't pay much attention to them when they told us to go back home and stop acting like bafoons.

"Well, what did we get from this?" I asked Switzerland.

"I didn't like the way Greenwood talked about the man who has Liechtenstein" he replied.

"Maybe he has a criminal record for..."

"Not necessarily. He talked about a procedure. A doctor? Or maybe...a soldier...expert in torture...'Where the limit is'...

As much as he tried, I could se a shiver run down his body.

"There is also what he mentioned..."

"What?"

"'If the cold didn't freeze their...'" I didn't finish the sentence because it was too vulgar.

Switzerland raised his head to the night sky with no stars.

"...In a cold place..." he muttered.

"I'm thinking Russia."

"I was thinking of some Nordic country."

"Well, in that case we will have to get moving in order to discard."

"How come? After this you still want to help me?"

"I told you I would help you, no matter the consequences, but we can keep on discussing your lack of memory in the plane, do you agree?"

Switzerland smiled as he lost no more time and started walking to the car.

"Remind me to get together for a coffee when this is over."

"I'll hold you to it" I was smiling too.


	15. South Korea

I needed to talk to him.

My brother, my twin...

I had heard about the situation at his house and...I needed to know how he was. Hear it from his own lips.

I picked up the phone and dialed his number.

My heart was pounding so hard...I could only think maybe it was too late...I was seeing those cursed images in my head of a nation rotting and...

He didn't answer. I dialed again.

I had the newspaper of that morning in front of me. «Protests against the North Korean government. Multiple demonstrations face Pyongyang's regime», the headlines said, and under them: «The nation has been targeted by a radical group linked to the One World Nation Movement.».

Please, I thought. Answer to me, damn it...

He never did. I saw him in his house's television channels days after with his bosses. It was evident they had put lots of make up on him so he didn't look so pale and covered his difficulty to walk by making him walk holding onto his leader's arm. As I fear, he was very sick and, as I suspected, his bosses did all possible so that fact never reached the public.

Not even me, his brother?


	16. England II

She wasn't old enough to drink. That was the first thing I thought when I stopped looking at the weapon and looked at the person holding it. She was a child. Nothing but a child.

"Come in."

I drew back. The girl closed the door behind her and forced me to go deeper into the living room, away from every door and window.

"You've got a phone, right? Give it to me."

I wasn't going to argue with an armed teenager. I gave it to her. She glanced at it with a grimace and made a comment in low voice about its high-end condition before dropping it at her feet and crush it with her peeled boots until it was no longer usable.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Shut up."

"Who are you?" I repeated.

"Shut up! I'm the one who is going to end with centuries of tyranny. Long live the revolution!"

The world 'revolution' sounded so ridiculous in a brat like her, I thought, with her childish face which she tried to make up for filling her ears with earrings, putting eye shadow on and dressing in black. TILL THE WORLD ENDS, her T-shirt said.

"Alright, alright. Don't get nervous."

"You're the one who should be" she threatened me. "I called my brothers and sisters. They'll be here any moment now. And when they're here, we will destroy you."

Where were my bodyguards when I needed them the most? Oh, right, I told them to leave me alone and they did. I couldn't be more stupid...

"How did you get in?"

"That's not important."

"I'm surprised you didn't kill yourself, jumping from so high" I looked at her jeans, filled with dirt, and the bruise in one of her hands. This girl has jumped the fence, I thought, and ruined my rose bushes.

She gazed at the mess she had caused to herself and pressed her lips in embarrassment.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!"

"I don't know what you think what you think you're doing but if you leave now I won't press charges against you and nothing will happen to you."

"When this is over were will be no tribunals you can go to, nobody will pat your shoulder! You've been doing what you want for centuries, nobody stopping you, but now the people will claim what we-!"

"Can you at least be a little more original with the slogans?"

"How dare you talk to me like that?"

"I'm having a horrible week and I'll talk to you the way I want!"

"England" she contemptuously said. "The fuckingly proud England...Not even now that your end is near you can stop being cocky, eh?"

"We will see that."

"Sure. You can't just imagine the idyll coming to an end, right? Just like when you owned half of the globe. You didn't think you'd end up alone, did you?"

Even though the gun intimidated me, and more in the hands of a little person who had lots of mood swings at that age, that was starting to rub me the wrong way. I was having, as I said, a horrible week and the last thing I needed was having someone aiming at me with a gun and putting their finger on a sore spot as well.

"Look how he gets crossed" she smirked. "It always hurts to take you down a peg or two, eh?"

"Could you stick to threaten me with that gun? I'm not in the mood for this shit..."

"Well, you came to the wrong place to hide" the kid looked around her, even walked around to look at the painting, the sculptures, the photographs. "You do love yourself, man. Look at him, with Shakespeare..."

"That's the Earl of Essex. What about you open a History book before you speak?"

"Of course! A product made by you and your acolytes to clean your image! No, thanks!"

"Did you learn that word all by yourself or did you borrow it from the rhetoric of those twerps and murderers you follow?"

She aimed at me with the gun again and I shut up.

"I know lots of words, smartass! I go to the library all the time! I've read lots of books! That's how I learned that you, who pretend you are good guys, have done horrible things in the past!

"Didn't you say those were all lies?" I couldn't resist pointing out.

She blushed.

"Well, I mean, each country falsifies their own history and those they hate but...!"

"Yelling won't make you right" but I did want her to scream. That way sooner or later someone would hear her and come to my rescue. I was risking my neck, but if I provoked her a little more...

"I'm not yelling!" she probably realized she was talking too high and lowered her volume drastically. "Do you want me to put a bullet in your skull? Is that what you want?"

"Alright, calm down. I was only saying..."

"Good. Because I know you're alone."

She moved away from me for a moment to look through the window, almost as if she wasn't very sure of what she said.

"And another thing, we are not a bunch of murderers, okay?"

"You're pointing at me with a gun."

"But if you collaborate I won't use it."

"Huh. And what did Sealand do to you? Didn't he let you massacre his people?"

She couldn't hold my stare for long.

"All revolutions have their casualties, alright? There's nothing we can do. We killed one of yours, just like you're killing our people. Sacrifices...have to be made for the sake of humanity.

"What good can come from killing people who lived in a platform at sea, not bothering anybody?"

"He! Funny you mention that. You used to punish deserters and rebels to die tied up to a cannon and firing up...The concentration camps where you put the boer and the Kenyan people in Africa...Tortures in Aden, not so long ago...The hunger in Bengal and Ireland...

"I didn't take all those decisions."

"But you didn't do anything to stop it either. You loved it, right? Doing that to people. Seeing how others killed to maintain your power. That made you feel like a macho, am I right?"

"Sealand's people, Sealand himself, didn't even know you existed..."

"Well...maybe it was a mistake, but...!"

"Sure..."

"...And how do I know you didn't order it? Like Kennedy's death, Lady Di's, 9/11 and all that...

"I hope you're not being serious."

"We can't be sure of what you tell us. You're all a bunch of liars."

"But you believe all the bad things you hear, don't you, Sarah?"

She jumped, surprised that I knew her name. She noticed what my eyes were looking at, her wrist, and found out there was her name, written in a bracelet with square beads and silver and violet details. She quickly removed it, kept it inside of her leather jacket and kept on aiming at me.

"I'm warning you..."

She looked through the window again. Whoever her brothers were, they were notably late.


	17. Romano III

There was nothing we could do for Spain but looking how he slowly consumed and believe me, it wasn't pleasant. Not that I loved Spain passionately, but seeing him like that...

The trip at least helped us get in touch with the ex-colonies of the Spanish Empire. We shared our thoughts about that movement and some personal confidences. Nicaragua knew what was going on between Veneziano and his bodyguard. Well, the whole world knew about it at that point, but it was with her with whom I talked about the matter at length, at that time when I needed a distraction. She told me something that surprised me. What she said to me was so shocking that I asked her to come home and have a talk with Veneziano.

Even though she had unfinished business at home, Nicaragua stayed true to her promise and came to visit us a few days later. She seemed emaciated but did it.

"Nicaragua! Hi! What are you doing here?" my brother received her with a hug.

"I missed your beautiful country and, what can I say, I needed to relax a bit."

I only had to get rid of Fanelli now. I told her there were no tomatoes left and we had to buy more. Her contract said nothing about going shopping but didn't she want to marry my brother and go live with him? Then she had to get used to it!

"It's an emergency" I told her, staring her intensively.

"Alright."

"But I like them from a certain grocer."

"No problem, dear."

I told her about a little shop I knew in the other extreme of Rome. For a moment, seeing her face, I thought she would send me packing, but that fool wanted to be in good terms with me, so she obeyed without complaining.

"I'll go right away."

I had everything ready. Nicaragua was in charge of taking Veneziano somewhere private and I pretended I had to go to the bathroom, saying I had cramps. That way Veneziano wouldn't ask questions.

I had taken my brother's phone and took advantage of him not having a pattern lock or anything to call myself from it. I answered, placed his phone on the coffee table, hid it under some magazines careful not to block the microphone and locked myself up in the bathroom. There I clicked on the speaker of my phone.

"I Heard you have a girlfriend!"

"Yes! Her name is Carlotta! She is pretty, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is."

"I wanted to ask her to marry me in Eurovisión but since Romano told her already I asked her directly and she told me yes, and we are preparing everything."

"Really? Oh...Congrats!"

"Thanks! She introduced me to her parents last October, they are so nice! Her father is a ticket collector at the subway!"

"That's nice. Ahem...Listen, Veneciano, but are you sure of what you are doing?"

"Of course I am!"

"I mean...You know you are a nation and she...She is a human..."

"Yes, I noticed, but that doesn't matter."

"Well, it does matter, actually. Because...because you know people live much less than nations…"

"Not always."

"No, but most of the time they do. You will see her becoming an old lady and you will stay the same."

"I will be able to take care of her."

"There will come a day when she...when she will die, Italy."

"Sigh...I know...But we will have lots of years of happiness together. That's all that counts, doesn't it?"

"Well…"

"Carlotta says it's a good deal, and if she's okay with it…"

"Look, I'm going to tell you something: I once fell in love with someone from my place."

"Puerto Rico?"

"No, a human person."

"Oh! I didn't know!"

"His name was Pedro. I still keep his portrait, look."

"How handsome! And what a funny moustache!"

"Yes, it's true. Well...He loved me too. He said I was the most beautiful place in the whole world. But, you see, everyone was against our romance. They told me humans were only good for a fling now and then and that's it."

"That's nasty!"

"That's what I thought. I refused to believe them. I didn't love Pedro because he was handsome, he was very nice too. I wanted to spend my life with him. We tried to get married, but the Church didn't bless our unión. We tried to get the papal bull and he answered saying it wouldn't be posible because I wasn't even human. We were even told that was an abomination because it was as if...well, you know what those times were like: they still believed we were gods or something like that."

"So you lived in sin?"

"Well, yes. I had just become independent and my bosses didn't like me defying the norms of the time, but I loved him so much, you know? We hoped a baby from both of us would pressure them to accept us. If there was a child, we thought, who had divine blood...I mean, I had Heard Spain talk about the problems France had due to women who claimed to have received his seed. But we nations can't…"

"Right, we can't…"

"I didn't care our plan failed. What hurt me was not having something his and mine. But we had a very happy life together."

"How pretty."

"Yes...until time devoured his pretty boy face. I didn't care he became an old man, but I was still Young and lively and it was getting more and more difficult to him to follow me. His carácter also changed a Little. It is inevitable when your body consumes. In the end, in 1879, he died. I was by his side, taking his hand. Do you know what was the last thing he said? ...'Adelita, guapa'..."

"Don't cry, Nicaragua. Aren't you happy you met him after all?"

"Yes and no, Italy."

"What do you mean? I thought you loved him so much."

"Yes but it's been a hundred and forty one years and I still suffer when I remember it as if it just happened yesterday. We don't have the consolation humans have that one day they will part and see them in another place. Or...we have to way for too long for that to happen and by then...If it wasn't for this portrait, I would have forgotten what his face looked like long ago. I got some sentimental and unstable reputation that I still can't get rid of, all for some years of happiness...Do you understand what I mean?

"...I think so."

"..."

"But I still love her so much and I'm going to marry her, even if I have to go against the Pope and the whole world hates me. If we can't have our own children, we will adopt them. Even if they don't have my blood, that doesn't matter. I will be a good dad and tell them stories. When my wife is old I will do everything for her so her last years are the best. And when she dies...I will cry….yes, I will cry a lot, but things are different from the 19th century: there are cameras and videos and boomerangs. I won't forget her voice or her face. And the kids we adopt will grow up and have their own, and those kids with have their kids, and they will always have me, and I will be so happy because I will get to know them all and tell them stuff that happened long before they were born."

I covered my face with a hand, making an effort not to scream.

"...I see you have it very clear…"

"Yes, I do."

"...In that case I don't care what people say. I wish you the best."

"Thanks, Nicaragua. You are a good friend."

I hanged up. It was time to accept the truth. He loved her. He really loved her. And I couldn't convince her it was a bad idea.

What if I tried to change Fanelli's mind, show her his ugly…? Urgh, no, how silly of me. She loved us. She knew everything about us. The brightest and darkest things, even the most insignificant. And she didn't care. Veneziano was charming and she adored him.

I had to accept it. They were a couple against all odds.

...Bullshit. I was never going to accept it.

That defeat only made my mood sourer. Spain was dying, Veneziano was going to make a mistake and the movement was spreading like cáncer. I couldn't help doing things I shouldn't have done.


	18. Mexico

If I had know what would happen...

Everything seemed to be going fine. I mean, things hadn't been good between us for a long time, but seeing the One World Nation Movement was spreading our bosses made an effort to smooth things over and create a support network. In that occasion America even behaved like a gentleman, showing me around the White House.

Then the first interruption came.

It was a human, but not any human. That is why the guards of the building allowed him to approach America. They even helped him. It was an old man who wore an olive green uniform with a matching hat.

"Mr. America..."

Not to force him to walk to us, America came to his encounter.

"Good afternoon."

A smile formed in the face of that elderly man.

"Well, what do you know..." he said, "when I joined the army back in 1941 I was sixteen. Now I'm old as the hills and you are as young as you were back then."

"Oh, don't say that, you look great."

The old man smiled showing fake teeth.

"I just wanted to tell you I don't buy that nonsense about starting over. Many of us fought for the world we have today. It ain't perfect but it's still better than any utopia. As long as I have air in my lungs, I will bless you. You have been my home, my parents', my grandparents' and for those before them. My children's and my grandchildren's. There is no better place in the world for me. God preserve you."

There is something special about the veterans. Mostly those who fought in that horrible war. There was so much to lose I guess a special bond was formed. And it is well known America adores his men. He never missed the funerals of those who died for natural causes back home. The words of that man, at that moment when many voices accused him of being an imperialist and committing abuses in foreign land, moved him deeply.

The veteran saluted him and America, proud, returned the gesture.

At that moment it seemed to me like a pretty anecdote, just like the newspapers and social media. I didn't know the visit of that man would be decisive in the measures America would take later.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Alfred McFarland, Mr. America."

"He! Mr. McFarland, I promise I'll do all I can for you, your children and your grandchildren."

"You have done so much for us already. It is time we do for you."

That was the end of that brief meeting. The White House staff took the veteran to the exit and America was left pensive for a while before remembering I was there.

"What were we talking about?"

"I was saying it is time we stop the pendejadas and, if we're not going to get along, at least we should stop bothering each other."

"Oh, come on, Mexico, it's just a little wall..."

That was all we could talk about before being interrupted again.

"M-Mister America..." a bodyguard approached.

The door of the corridor opened and we saw what had intimidated her that much. It felt as if a breeze had come through the door and frozen the White House. Which is on point, because it was Russia.

He was a head taller than the tallest member of the staff. He looked like a giant. He looked at everyone in his path with an apparently innocent but arrogant expression. If there is something Russia likes to do it is to intimidate. He walked with his hands inside of his dark blue coat. As always, he wore that scarf of his.

Russia stood out for his imposing looks, but China was there too and attracted many stares in spite of being much more discreet. Just like Russia, he wore a dark uniform so immaculate it was evident this was not an informal visit. In times like those when him and America had had run-ins due to political injerences, technological rivalries and comercial disputes, his unexpected presence in American territory was really unsettling.

I looked at America and saw him with his eyebrows raised. Surprised, no doubt about it, but not troubled.

"America. Mexico" China greeted us, gazing at us.

"Russia. China. Mexico. America. Good, we know our names" America said. "Now tell me why nobody told me you were coming."

"Let's say it's a surprise visit" Russia smiled.

"Your surprise visits normally end in a shooting...My boss is in a meeting with Mexico's."

"We came to see you."

"You'll have to wait. Mexico was kind enough to make an appointment weeks ago to talk to me."

"Mexico was leaving" I noted Russia was staring at me, piercing my brain with those violent eyes. His voice was soft but his intentions were clear. "Right, Mexico?"

I come from a hot place, and what does the heat do to ice? That chingón was not kicking me out.

"I will leave" I said, holding his stare "when I am finished."

Russia kept smiling, but not like before. Had the two of us been alone, I am sure he would have skinned me.

"It is my place to decide that" America said in my defense. "Can you at least tell me what this is about?"

"Worldwide security. That's what this is about" China answered.

Worldwide security. That must have stimulated America's imagination.

"...Is it about the One World Nation Movement?"

"Of course."

"And why can't Mexico stay?"

"Because we came to see you" China looked at me. "No offense, aru."

"Sure. I get it. You came to see the global power."

Again Russia looked at me with that smile that told me to go to hell and now China was gazing at me with insistence. I sighed.

"Alright. We will talk when you've finished whatever you have to...talk about with them."

"Bye, Mexico" Russia said to me with a good boy's voice, and I wanted to punch him in the nose.

America didn't do anything to stop me as I left. He instantly took his two uncomfortable guests to a nearby room and instructed his guards to leave him alone and give the presidents a runaround if they asked about him. I heard him. I wanted to approach and listen but those bullies wouldn't have let me come close. I could only wander the White House until my president finished debating with America's and we left together.

Today I still don't know the exact words spoken inside of that room but the result was soon public. Newspapers around the world published images of the three top global powers together. The old quarrels, the conflicts, the rumors, everything seemed to have been left behind. Their governments received direct orders to favor communication between their respective armies.

That was the birth of the Triumvirate, right in front of me.

I remember that day and think those two tempted America with the promise of doing what he loved the most: being the police of the world. The visit of that War World II veteran had softened his heart, convinced him that it was time to do what it was necessary to protect people and themselves from that threat. They surely used that excuse, defense, to attract them to their side.

But at that moment we simply thought they had assembled out of fear, in order to act in case it was necessary.

I still didn't know I would be the first victim of their abuses.


	19. Eswatini

**Dancing with flames (Greg Dombrowski)**

* * *

We thought it wouldn't affect us. We were as stupid as to think the One World Nation Movement matter was something which only concerned the European, American and some Asian nations. We would have never thought, not in a million years, that there would be revolutionaries in our continent. We reacted, I say, too late.

Then they appeared, in the middle of the night.

The didn't make any noise. Somehow, I woke up. When I looked through the window I saw a phantasmagorical light. From hundreds of torches lighting up the way to the royal family's residence.

I ran just with nothing but the clothes on. I had to warn them. That couldn't end up well. I felt a cold sweat all over my body...I still remember it and shake like a pup.

I got to the street. The silence was broken by the screams. Those screams still haunt me.

The torches were not only for knowing where they were going. It was a way to make sure the royal family left the building.

(...)

And what could have I done?

(...)

Yes. It's true. An instant of pain, and the burns would heal soon. I could have get them out of there and taken them somewhere safe. But they were too many...I couldn't have done anything...I couldn't have helped them escape even if I wanted to.

I could only see how they waited. And it didn't take long for them to see them coming out.

...It still makes my blood cold to remember how the wives of the king screamed when, one by one, they were grabbed like animals and grabbed away from their children. All of those children left to their fate in the flames, snatched from their mothers' arms...

Finally the one they were looking for came out and was received with a rock rain, kicks and punches. I don't know how he survived to that. But it's not surprising to me he ended up badly. There was so much contained anger. He was not popular at all. He was an absolutist monarch and any attempt of democratization, unionization, was severely suffocated. Those brutes said they only did to him what he deserved.

I don't like to say it, but I was so scared I let them do what they wanted to me too...


	20. Germany I

Ulrich looked at me from the corner of his eye with a smile.

"You can turn it on if you want to."

I looked at him with a light blush.

"Oh, but..."

"You are going through a hard time. Little moments like these keep our sanity."

"...Thank you, Ulrich."

So I turned on the car's music player and the song I had been wanting to listen for quite some time started playing.

_Du, du hast / Du hast mich_

It makes me a little embarrassed to admit I am quite fond of this group and the genre in general. I have heard some say it doesn't 'fit' me. And those who say my language is perfect for it. I hadn't been myself in such a long time...Since that revolutions started I was meeting by meeting, worry by worry. There were days when I just wanted to stay in bed for days, and I couldn't even afford a simple six or seven hour sleep. There were only worrying news, wherever I looked. First little Liechtenstein's kidnapping, then the horrible murder of Sealand's people, which resulted in the death of the nation, revolts which spread in all countries, in all continents, Austria and Switzerland having been caught violating the rights of the only person arrested for Liechtenstein's kidnapping, and to make things words there was a rumor about a mobilization of China's, Russia's and America's armies which they had accorded secretly.

Those were not days for self-care. It had been such a long time since I didn't speak to someone about something that was not violence and destruction...

_Du hast mich gefragt / Und ich hab nichts gesagt_

"I used to go to these guys' concerts when I was young" Ulrich smiled.

"Maybe I can get you an autograph" I told him.

"You are too nice, Mr. Germany."

I smiled.

Unfortunately, the smile lasted barely a few seconds before the impact wiped it out of our faces.

I can't say much about those moments because everything became confusing, so I will go to the moment when I realized the car we were travelling in was wrecked and Ulrich and I were bleeding.

"Ulrich!" I called him.

He didn't move. With difficulty, I got to get rid of the safety belt and tried to see if he was still alive. He had pieces of glass stuck in his face. I noted they were stabbing me, but I would survive.

"I'm alright, Mr. Germany..." he panted. "Cal-"

He couldn't continue because an arm went through the broken window, wrapped itself around his neck and squeezed it. I also felt someone pulling me violently.

They dragged me out of the car, bleeding and with an ear ringing. But I could see perfectly. That way I could see it was a group of five people of different complexions. I can't say anything else because most of them were covered with hoods, balaclavas and masks. Only a few brave of them acted unmasked. One of them was a woman around forty with short hair who approached so much that I could smell she had been drinking something strong shortly before.

"Jewish people don't forget and don't forgive, dog!"

She spit in my eye.

"Ulrich!"

They laughed, taking it as a sign of weakness, when I actually wanted to know if he was alright. He didn't respond. To neutralize him, they had used the rear naked choke technique. But the brute who performed it went too far and ended up depriving him from oxygen for too long. Ulrich died right there, in the jumble of the car. He was a good man, young, with all his life ahead of him. He didn't deserve dying that way.

"Hey, hey, look" one of the hooded people, who was wearing a Donald Duck mask, approached to touch my face. "Fuck, look at this, his wound is closing..."

The woman looked at me.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" she asked.

And her finger pressed the enormous piece of glass embedded into my neck.

I let out a grunt of pain. She smirked.

"You filthy piece of shit, I hope it does."

"Well, maybe they can't die, but if they feel pain, that's fine for me" another man said, who had his head covered with a hood and a militar-style cloth.

"Guys, guys, what did we agree? We wouldn't get in the dangerous ground of personal issues" a fourth person intervened.

The thing is, I knew that voice...

"It's easy for you not to get personal, this son of a bitch didn't get any relative of yours killed" the woman said to him.

"Yeah, he's no angel, that's for sure. But remember it's not my idea, it's orders from above."

"Well. Somebody hold him. I'm not even touching him."

The Donald Duck mask guy volunteered. I heard his excited breathing under the mask and how he touched me.

"Damn, I had never touched a nation before...He smells like..." that dirty man practically pressed his nose on my skin and inhaled strongly. "He smells like chestnuts."

"Dude, you're really sick" somebody told him.

"Take this chance, soon this one will disappear like a fart in the wind."

There was something in that voice that...

It was then when its owner approached me and looked at me with a smile from ear to ear.

"I hope you had no plans for the night, blondie."

I knew that smile, those red eyes and that white hair.

In front of me was my brother Prussia.


	21. Canada III

"Allow me to take pleasure in this mental image, Mr. Canada: there you were, dressed like a civilian, among dozens of people who wanted to eliminate you and your kind, with your body filled with microphones and cameras."

"Yes, it's madness, isn't it? I was scared to death but I had to pretend I really believe in what they were doing."

"You went to some meetings acting like a twenty-three year old college student called Jim Carrey."

"Yes, and what they said there was horrible. They brought up all our past mistakes: slavery, the Holocaust, the world wars, the Apartheid, the religion wars...They said we had learned nothing in thousands of years of existence, we were puppets of governments, we wasted millions from the taxpayers in whims and parties. Not only they talked badly about us: they attacked any idea of race, gender, religion, nationalism...Everything which brought differences between people. The purpose of the One World Nation Movement was to eliminate everything which brought confrontation and create a society where everyone was equal.

"It sounds so good in theory it is no surprise they got adepts so quickly."

"Yes...Luckily, unlike in other cases in the past, they showed their true colors soon, right?"

"Like Sealand's massacre."

"And other atrocities they committed in the name of equality."

"But you've said you couldn't hate them despite everything."

"I became a regular participant and it could be said I became friends with Youssef. I was with him all the time, followed him everywhere. Intelligence didn't need to tell me who he was because he told me himself, just chatting, drinking coffee. He was born in Syria. He had to flee because of the war. He got to Italy with his family by ship. The plan was to start over in Norway, but they were sent to a horrible temporal shelter before being told they were denied the right of asylum and were left in the streets, undocumented and with no chance of going somewhere else. That is how he radicalized, let's say. He came to America illegally so he could have a chance to work and here he found the movement. I also met Anaïs, Uri and Walter. Uri and Walter were from the United States, Anaïs, a Cuban, and she had gone through something similar than Youssed. She came from Cuba and had to cross the sea in a raft to escape Castro's regime. She dreamed with a world in which there would be just one world leader, chosen democratically. That way she would return to her beloved Trinidad. She thought...she thought if she had to sacrifice her nation, she would do it. 'Not that he has done anything to prevent his children from leaving', she used to say.

"I have it understood you have a good relationship with Cuba."

"Yes, and I know that's not true, he does care a lot about his people...But, of course, I couldn't tell her..."

"So the movement was formed by people who were disappointed with you, each of them with their dramas: refugees, war veterans..."

"Well, there was also people who had a good life and were simply seduced by the idea of destroying the system. Ughetti was like that."

"I see that name is enough to make you shiver."

"You wouldn't have liked to met her, I assure you, Phil..."

"When did you have the pain of meeting her?"

"I think it was after Greenland. I was simply trying to fit in back then, trying to get included in their plans. Being a newbie and kind of shy, they didn't trust me much, but I was making friends here and there. This group I mentioned...I spent more time with them than with my bosses and the other nations. Even though we talked mostly about that dreamed world, we also hanged out together and talked about...a bit of everything. Heh, it was kind of funny that I had to take my 'experiences' from movies I had seen because the truth was too shocking. No, Ughetti was not my problem back then, but Greszczyszyn."

» "He crossed the door one day with such a bright smile he didn't look like himself. I remember Walter told me into my ear he walked as if he had, uhm, made love, and I laughed. Then Greszczyszyn said: 'Guys, get a beer, we finally have something to celebrate! Greenland is dead!'. And I couldn't laugh anymore.


	22. Denmark

**Curious feeling of falling (Thomas Newman)**

* * *

I did nothing but think about the statistics. I reviewed them again and again. Almost as to make sure it was not an hallucination of mine, people had really said that. I checked different sources. And yes. I had been chosen the happiest country in the world.

So why was that happening to me?

I couldn't leave my house. An intense pain had settled in my chest, worse than a pneumonia, than everything I had experienced to the date. It was a sign that there was something inside killing me.

I, the happiest nation in the world, was dying.

Margrethe wanted me to have complete rest, to stay calm, but how could I be calm having inside...? I watched the news, desperate to know. I even got mad at my queen, because I didn't understand why she was hiding something so important from me.

I found out soon. All Northern nations were threatened. We, who leaded world lists about education, citizen satisfaction, equality and all that, also had a target in our backs.

I remember a piece of a survey they did in the streets for a national TV channel. 'Denmark is considered a good nation, why should he disappear?'. The response from a young man with a Los Ramones T-shirt, I will remember it as long as I live:

"It's true life is good here, but the rest of the world isn't this lucky and it's time we end with privileges."

We would die for being privileged. If just breathing didn't hurt me enough, I would have laughed my ass out.

They were going to sacrifice us for the common good. I had seen that enough times before to panic.

And I had thought in the beginning what they wanted was so stupid and naive nobody would believe it...

I can't say anything bad about the people who was by my side. They were all really nice to me. Margrethe left aside many duties to stay with me. I know Frederik and Joachim did everything in their hands to solve this situation.

But what could they do? We are talking about the minds of people. One can't make laws about it. The Triumvirate tried to get those ideas out of their heads by force and only made it worse.

It seemed there was nothing that could be done but wait.

Wait is what I did and believe me when I say, friend, it's not pleasant. Waiting to die. To be killed off, actually. And the worst of all is that the ones who have the power to decide if you live or die are the same people who created you. Those days I felt as if they had molded you and one day, after given everything to them, they simply got tired, said you were evil and eliminated you like trash. Nowadays there are people who have a kind of love-hate relationship with their people after the way they were treated. And I have to emphasize the love part because I haven't met a nation abused by its own people who doesn't love them deeply. Lithuania can say a lot about that.

The worst of those days was December 20, when a group of people damaged the Little Mermaid sculpture in Copenhague with a hammer. I felt it before seeing it in the news. It was a group formed by three boys who acted with ski masks on. They were arrested hours later. I was supposed to feel relieved that the great majority of the people was outraged by the destruction of our icon, but the relief was so small...

It was then when they knocked at the door. My bodyguard Helle opened. Those days she was really paranoid.

But she recognized the one who came to see me and let him in.

"Dan..."

There was only one person in the world who called me like that.

...

Sorry. I think about the little guy, the way he came in, what happened to him and...

It was Greenland. He was...something was wrong with him. It was obvious. Right when I saw him I got up from the bed as if I had a spring in my ass. He would have fallen to the floor if it wasn't for the people around him. I ran to hold him. He was cold, like always. He was always cold, specially his nose, red...

Sniff...I'm sorry...

I had no idea of why he came to my house. Did he get the news I was sick? Did he come to ask for help?

I believe he knew his end was near and that's why he came to me. Not for me to try to do something about it, but to say goodbye. That's what I think.

He gazed at me. Even though it was difficult for him to speak, he had panic in his eyes. I didn't stop looking at him as his flesh consumed.

I heard my friend scream. I felt my heart stop.

Greenland started to weight less and less and less in my arms, until what was left of him, nothing but ashes, fell on the carpet and I found myself with his clothes in my hands.

Joachim had to sit on the bed. Someone hurrily opened the windows of the bedroom. I just know I was left there, still, bawling and babbling, with the clothes in my hands, until Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland came in. They tried to get it away from me and I slapped whoever tried. Then I found myself in somebody's arms, I don't know who, and cried. That night I did nothing but cry. My pals from the North cried with me.

Greenland was small and young. For what I found out later, he was so isolated from everything and everyone he didn't even hear about the One World Nation Movement matter. That is, he died without knowing why.

He never did anything wrong in his life, I can swear.

I had had some quarrel with America because of him, because he wanted to take him home. But at that moment I wished with all my soul he got his tanks, his planes, his drones, his destroyers and men and annihilated those people completely. I regret a lot having thought of that, but if you had known Greenland, you would have been furious about what happened to him too.


	23. Austria IV

Greenland was dead. We saw that in the front pages of the newspapers in the gas station where we stopped to rest. We sat at a table of the cafeteria and stayed there for a good while, not talking, not eating what we had just bought, covering our faces with our hands. The movement got two casualties and this one meant a serious threat to us, because it meant those ideas had left a mark on all continents and spread enough. It was one of the most unpleasant times of my life.

"The smallest nations are falling first...Fuck..." Switzerland muttered, and pushed the sandwich he had just bought away from him, as if the mere sight of food disgusted him. "Liechtenstein...I hope she is still alive but..."

"I'm sure she is."

"You only say so to cheer me up, or to shut me up, but thanks."

I sipped my bottle of water before leaning a bit towards him.

"That man has been following us for a while."

There was a man with a long ponytail and a beard in the magazine section. He pretended to be reading some copies, but I had caught him glancing at us.

"I am sure I have seen his car near ours on the road."

Switzerland discreetly watched the man. I saw him grabbing his gun under the table.

"It is not convenient to make a scene" I told him.

"He could be a member of the movement" he whispered.

"There is no doubt about it. I wonder if Greenwood has been in contact with his friends outside of jail."

"In that case, we have to get the hell out of here."

"Even without him we should. My boss has called me to threaten me. I go home now or he drags me by the hair. I know him and I know he will do it."

"Yeah, mine too, but I'll ignore him and I suppose you will too. Right?"

"Of course. But there's too many people watching us."

"I agree. Do you have any idea?"

"Actually, I do. I have been meditating about it. It is a bit risky, but..."

"It doesn't matter. It's all we have now."

I leaned towards him to whisper my plan into his ear. When I finished he looked at me as if I had gone mad, but after thinking about it carefully he seemed to realize it could work.

"Let's do it."

We needed a few things, so we visited a small mall in the outskirts of the town. As I suspected, that black Toyota followed us and stopped near our parking lot. Its owner, the man with the ponytail, seemed to need something from the second story too. We divided. Switzerland went to get some things and I went to a fashion shop. The man followed me, I saw him near me. In case he got the idea of coming up to me, I approached all staff member I found to make them the silliest questions I could come up with and after paying I got out and pretended I talked through the phone. I met Switzerland in the main floor and prepared to leave.

We went down the escalators to the parking.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes" Switzerland replied.

And he immediately started coughing. He attracted the attention of the man of the ponytail, who stared at us.

"You'll see Liechtenstein is alright" I muttered to Switzerland, only so he could see us talk with worry.

"Thank you, Austria" he replied, pretending he couldn't breath.

We went up again, heading to the toilets. The man followed up.

I acted as if my legs couldn't hold me.

"I hope you bought me something decent" Switzerland told me in low voice, faking enormous worry.

"More decent than what you are wearing now, that's for sure" I replied.

Fortune wanted a woman who was promoting a telephone company to approach our chaser and distract him. We took that chance to quickly slip away to the restroom.

I can't say what happened when the man finally got rid of that annoying saleswoman and caught up with us. We were leaving the mall by foot by then, leaving my car in the parking. Some hours later, after spending a while hitchhiking, a truck driver offered himself to take us to Rostock.

"Thank you for driving us, sir" I said. I had left my glasses behind (which was not really a loss, because I didn't need them to see clearly, but so my face didn't look so plain). I had combed my hair to one side and changed my decent attire for something more modern: simple jeans, sneakers and a white shirt with a fine dark gray coat.

"No problem, fellas" the driver replied, a very nice German with a thick mustache and a pronounced belly.

The driver had the radio on with the news, and during the trip they talked about a grim finding.

'We just got the news that the mortal remains of the Swiss Confederation and the Republic of Austria have been found in a mall in Germany. Apparently, both nations were in the country after paying an inopportune visit to the only person arrested for the kidnapping of the Principality of Liechtenstein, in a maximum-security prison in France. The cameras of the mall and some witnesses saw the nations feeling a sudden indisposition when they were heading to the parking and ran to the restroom. A father and his son came in later and found the clothes and belongings of both nations on the floor, covered in dust. This event has fallen like cold water on the whole world, specially Europe.'

The driver, who mentioned he was called Mickey, shook his head with sadness.

"I can't believe it...Switzerland and Austria...And I thought things couldn't get worse..."

I glanced at Switzerland. He had shaved the sides of his head with a knife he carried with him to adopt one of those horrible hairstyle which young men those days showed around very often, with a bun. He had gotten rid of his beret and wore jeans, a checkered red shirt and an anorak.

"This is going to hell" the driver lamented.

"They say this is for the best" I commented in an attempt to act naturally.

"Yeah, nbullshit. Do you really believe killing the nations the world will be a better place, boy?"

"Not really. But that's what they say."

"Yes...Listen, boy, I was born in the sixties, but my parents lived Nazism and told me things that would make your hair stand on end. The things people did in the name of a better world. What they are doing has no name. Well, it does have one: nasty. Murder. Two names. Austria and Switzerland...They were good people. I've read about them. Austria was the patron of arts in his land. He missed no premiere. And made sure beginners had their chance. And Switzerland, after all, is the country where the Red Cross was created, and the other day I heard he donated a good part of his estate to that organization and others. Actually, for what I know, almost all nations do things like that. And in times like these, when there are so many corrupted politicians and money is spent in stupid things, people who really care about others is what we need. I believe in nations. I really believe they love their citizens and are nice. And those Wanwol Mufment or whatever it's called are killing them. I don't want my nation to disappear. He made mistakes, yes, but just like everyone else. We make mistakes all the time, ourselves. I kicked my dog the other day because me bit my slippers and I wasn't in the mood. But that's what forgiveness is for. I forgive my nation and I want to see him happy. He represents everything which makes this piece of land unique, our history, our customs. I don't want a globalized world, where everyone is the same. It would be very boring and, frankly, it doesn't sound good to me...There's so many who have used the idea of us being all equal...I guess you think I am an old man...

"No, sir, absolutely" Switzerland said softly.

"So, Rostock..."

"Yes."

"You're going to like it. If you have the time, get a ferry to Denmark. The price is good and it will take you to a good place. We have some hours ahead of us, so if you want to sleep tell me and I'll turn the radio off. I have some soda around, in case you're thirsty."


	24. Liechtenstein III

**Demise of a nation (Greg Dombrowski)**

* * *

**Thursday, March 6th**

During the first years of China's life, the different regime changes meant trouble. Each new ruler tried to erase every trace of its predecessor, including the nation in their care. That way, China experienced the different execution methods, from the five pains to burial, including the thousand cuts. He survived each one of them and the different dynasties had to accept they would have to take him under their wind, reeducate him, instead of creating a new nation which would replace him.

By the end of the 18th century the same revolutionaries who guillotined king Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette arrested the French nation, who they accused of taking part in the oppression his people had suffered during the centuries and beheaded him in the Place de la Concorde. France's head, to general dismay, insulted those who did it and didn't stop bickering until it was sewn back to his body, and the ones responsible for that outrage were guillotined.

Around that time, a demented clergyman, against the popular vision of England being a divine creature, published a pamphlet in which England was presented as nothing but a wizard who had acquired immortality through pacts with the devil and one day got to kidnap him and burned him in a pyre like it had to be done to followers of Satan like him. Chronicles say England's burned flesh recomposed in front of the astonished eyes of those who found him.

These are just some of the things the Doctor told me, before applying them to me.

Those were days I really want to forget, so I am forced to omit the details. I will only say that man and his helper wanted to see in live, under the light of modern science, why the bodies of the nations could suffer all kinds of damage but couldn't die. What they saw surprised them, no doubt. I heard Nurse, who I think was actually scared of us, say several times that it was monstrous. She, by the way, didn't keep her promise and never used anesthesia on me.

I don't know how many days passed since I was captured. I only know I felt increasingly weaker. Apart from the torture I didn't eat or drank, they didn't even let me sleep. They tried everything that could kill a person on me. I was left exhausted, asking myself, yes, why couldn't I die and end with all of that.

There were times when I thought maybe letting myself die...

Then, my brother saved me. Much before I saw his face again.

A man came in. They called him G, it was a man with glasses, red haired. He had champagne in his hand.

"What are we celebrating?" the Doctor asked with a smile.

"We're making great progress lately. Greenland is dead and they just said on the television that Austria and Switzerland have fallen too.

"NO!"

I didn't mean to scream but it was something that came from deep inside of me, which took me out of the drowsy state I was after one of the Doctor's sessions and brought me back to life. I remember I stood up as much as the shackles allowed me to and I screamed.

"You couldn't do that! Liars! He can't be dead!"

"What's the matter with her?" G asked me, pointing at me. The thing is I was talking in my language and he didn't understand a single word I was saying.

"She's upset because her friends are dying" the Doctor replied, looking at me with a smile.

"In that case, we'd better relief her suffering quick, don't you think?"

"Come on, be a good girl and shut up" the Nurse told me, pushing me back to the stretcher.

But I didn't stop screaming. They had to sedate me to calm me down. Even though my mind was left terribly damaged after it, I kept on thinking. In that place I had, unfortunately, a lot of time to think.

My brother was dead. And I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe he had been one of the first to fall. I really thought his people loved him, because he was so good to them and loved them. It wasn't in my head, how quickly they abandoned him. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be true, I repeated to myself again and again, crying.

What would I do without Switzerland, I asked myself next. He was the one who taught me everything I know, who took care of me, the person I admired the most in the world. Now I was alone and that captivity felt even more unbearable.

But then I thought about him. About what he would have said if he had been there.

'Don't cry, Liechtenstein. What's the use of crying?'

It was useful to help me let out all the anguish I felt for my situation, but once I let everything out, it was time to think with clarity. It was what my brother would have done. What he expected me to do. So I did. I swallowed my tears and analyzed the situation coldly.

I let them try their horrible ways of execution on me, and among each pain I started taking note on their movements.

Someone called M came to visit from time to time and the Doctor and the Nurse went to meet her and tell her about their findings. I was in a hole with no windows nor clocks, so I had no notion of time. I got to have an approximate idea of the days by the body hygiene of the Doctor. He didn't allow me to be shabby. 'A shower a day is yay', he said as he washed my body with a hose. He also smelled particularly at certain times, like flowers. That way, I knew each time he smelt good and washed me a new day started. With that information, I could calculate when M's next visit would be. Each three days.

I noticed a few more things. In the door at the end of the stairs taking to the street. Each time someone came in or out a cold breeze made me shiver and gave me goosebumps. I didn't know what was on the other side, but it was the street indeed, maybe I had a chance.

Talking about the cold, the day when I decided to escape the Doctor put a blanket on me and caressed my cheeks as he used to do. I heard him mutter something. It was Russian. Even though people like me have a lot of time to learn languages and it is necessary to understand each other, I hadn't started studying that precise language seriously yet. But I could understand a name: Heidi. At that moment I didn't know if he referred to the girl from the book or if he mentioned someone called like that. The thing is that day M had to show up, I believed. And I am glad to say my calculations were correct. Nurse opened the door and descended some steps.

"M is here. And she wants us to make her happy."

Doctor looked at me and kissed my forehead softly.

"Good night, my precious" he told me, and left.

He got away and soon disappeared through the door. I was left alone.

It was time to act.

As I said, the days I spent in that place were filled with pain. At that point, if I had the chance to escape, I didn't mind suffering a little more.

I fought the shackles and yes, I broke the bones of my left hand on purpose.

It hurt a lot, but I was used to pain. I just bit my lips not to scream.

I got to get it through the ring. Even though it hurt so much and I couldn't move it well, I got to untie the strap around my other hand. With this one free I released my ankles.

When I got up from the table my legs faltered because of how weak I was and all the time I had spent lying down. Like a fawn, I started moving around the room. I saw the photos they took of each of the procedures, the instruments used on me. I didn't find my clothes, so I took one of the Doctor's coats from a chair and put it on.

I lost no more time and headed to the door.

Unfortunately, right when my fingers touched the doorknob, Nurse opened the door.

I almost fell backwards because of the surprise. She grabbed me and forced me inside, very disturbed.

"How did you...?!"

She squeezed my broken hand and hurt me so much. The Doctor smiled but the Nurse was very agitated. She's going to do every single abominable thing she can come up with, I thought, because I've tried to escape.

Then a voice spoke:

"She escaped? Great! I want to keep her."

What I am about to write is something I haven't told to anyone, not even Switzerland. If you ever read this, dear brother, I hope you forgive me for not having told you. It was too horrible for me.

There was someone in front of the exit door. It was a child. A girl, I believed. She looked around eight years old. She had dark curly hair, almond-shaped eyes and her skin had different colors—sorry, I just saw on the Internet that the name is vitiligo—; had spots all over her body and a white strip in her black face as if she was wearing an eye mask. Her eyes were yellow. I swear.

I remember Nurse turned around to look at her with surprise.

"A-Are you sure? But...we need her..."

"I told you I want her" the girl insisted. "She made a fool of you and she's pretty. I like her. I want her."

The Nurse looked at the Doctor and he shrugged.

"If Tero wants her" said a voice from outside. It belonged to a black woman with curly hair who wore a colorful scarf, "give her to her. We already have Germany to continue the experimentation."

"Experimenting with him after what happened in the concentration camps will be poetic justice, right?" Doctor grinned.

The girl grabbed me from the wrist and made some comments about my nudity under the coat.

I asked England not too long ago, during a meeting, how he knew America was a nation when he found him. He told me he really didn't know how to explain it. He supposed we recognize each other, like some kind of sixth sense. I believe it is so. Because the very moment I saw that girl they called Tero I knew she was a nation. The nation the movement had created. The one who would replace us all.


	25. Poland

**To my mother (Thomas Newman)**

* * *

I met a girl called Dyna in the 70s. The Press said back then she was my girlfriend, but the truth is she went around kissing people in the lips, not only me. Her family was Jewish...no need to say anything else, right? When war finished, her family went from having eighteen members to five. She was a baby at the time, there was no way she could remember any of that. She told me her mother survived Auschwitz to kill herself drinking. She killed herself living. In thirty two years of existence she partied, drank, drugged herself, smoked and fucked more than I did in a thousand. Two years before her thirty third birthday we buried her in Rzeszów.

In the One World Nation Movement days, I thought a lot of my friend again and told me if I had to leave this world, I would have loved to leave like she did, under my own terms. Partying one last time, buying in a pharmacy a jar of those pills with unpronounceable name, swallowing all of it and getting in bed.

Unfortunately, we nations have little to say about the way we want to die. It's just something that comes to us.

I was out to buy something to eat for dinner. Just that. Something for dinner. I left my bodyguards at home because I was fed up of being followed even to go to the toilet, of having each movement controlled. There was a time when Europe was in my hand. If I had reached the 21st century in one piece, I would be able to get to the Hindu restaurant, get something and go back home safe and sound, I told them. Maybe I was a bit of an idiot. But I needed relax, being alone for a while and let off some steam.

I got there. The assistant already knew me and was very nice to me because, of course, I was the nation. No problem there. The problem was on the way back.

As soon as I turned the corner I realized someone was following me. It was a group of people. I don't know how many exactly. I think it was six. At first I didn't care about them, but then I saw it was not a gang who was out having fun. They didn't even talk among each other. They just walked very close to each other. They didn't look away from me in any moment.

I wasn't scared. Maybe I should have.

I just walked quicker. I hummed something to distract myself. But they were still there.

There was a moment when I couldn't take it any longer. I turned around and said to them cheekily:

"Is there any problem, big boys? Eh?"

A normal person would have said none, or that I was imagining things that were not true. But what they did was to pounce on me.

It was six against one. It wasn't fair. In the old times I would have gotten rid of them with no sweat, but I had changed my sword for a phone long ago. I tried to reach them. I couldn't break their heads with it, but I could call someone.

But they snatched him from me and dragged me to a car. There I kicked as much as I could, bit in any occasion I had, but I was still in numerical disadvantage. Some of those guys evidently worked out (now, when all that story ended I hurried to join kickboxing).

They took me to the cemetery. There, they took me out and dragged me by the hair a few meters. I got to kick someone where the sun doesn't shine, even though that was not enough to free myself. Too many hands were holding me. I couldn't see a thing. I screamed all the time and nobody came in my help.

Then I saw where they were taking me to. A wooden chest, at the edge of a squared hole.

Then I realized it was not a chest. And I fought with all my might.

With pushes and punched they got to get me in there. Then they sealed it with nails. As one hammered them, the others practically laid on it so I couldn't move it and get out.

I was left in the most absolute darkness. From then on, I could only hear.

I felt how the box moved with me inside. The descent. Then a 'pam', when it hit the bottom. And next, intermittent hits. The soil they were throwing over me.

I have never screamed more in my life. As it seems, by the photos I got to have access to, I left my fingernails in the cover after scratching it. I hit with all my might, trying to unhinge the darn thing or break the wood, but it only got me some bruises because above there was a weight impossible for me to lift.

I think I consumed almost all the oxygen inside in five minutes. I lost consciousness and I don't remember anything else.

I don't know how much time I spent inside of that damned box. They say there were witnesses of my kidnapping who called the police so quickly they could arrest those who did that to me and started digging right after burying me. I only know I opened my eyes when air came back to my lungs and there was a bearded man leaned over me. Behind him there was a lot of people, which I heard later that took me out of there by their own means while the police took care of that gang. Some used their bare hands to dig.

"He's alive, thank God!"

I was still out of my mind. I think it was the oxygen deprivation, which affected my brain. I fought. There was so much people in there and wanted them all to leave. I punched and shook like I was possessed.

"Easy, easy, you're safe, you're safe!" the man said to me, taking my face in his hands.

I started crying. They told me I said in my delirium things like "did you liberate me to bury me yourselves?". I am ashamed I lost my cool like that. Running out of oxygen is really horrible.

But I keep the good of it. The man who took me out held me in his hands as long as I had that anxiety attack. Many of the people in there approached to hug me. They didn't leave me until my bodyguards came. Thank God, there was still someone who loved me and gave a damn about me.

And I let those fuckers know, back home, after a scolding from my boss I frankly deserved, cleaned and chill. I posed on my bed, with a little bottle of whine in one hand and giving the finger. #ToAThousandMoreYears.


	26. Cuba

**Vendetta (Greg Dombrowski)**

* * *

You know what? I never liked America and in the One World Nation Movement days I had a lot of reasons to hate him even more.

I was having a nice day at the beach. The previous ones had been terrible to me, with all that people protesting. My spine hurt so much I couldn't get out of bed in days. I made the effort to go have a swim, hoping it would make me feel better. How stupid! I knew myself what I felt wouldn't be fixed with a swim. But the boss insisted and I had nothing better to do than to watch everything go to heck. The thing is, it did me good, I even had a bit of fun with the waves, when I saw the gringo approach with his aviator jacket and sunglasses as if he believed he was in Top Gun, and ruined my good mood.

"It's so hot in here for December, isn't it?" he yelled from the shore.

I guessed I had no choice but to get out of the water and go to him.

"What did you do this time, America?" I asked him.

"Why? Can't one pay a visit to an old friend?"

"We stopped being friends long ago, man."

"That hurts me, but I forgive you, because I love this place. The sun, the beaches..."

He slipped his glassed down his nose to shamelessly look at some girls in bikini who passed by.

"And there's something I'd like to tell you."

"I hope is the abuse to Mexico."

Even though he kept smiling, I think I ruined his facade.

"Ah, have you been in touch lately?" he asked with interest.

"We've had a meeting down here in Latin America" I replied as I walked to the place where I had my stuff, "concerning your unexpected entry to Mexican territory. Another surprise visit of yours?"

"Well, yes, that's right."

"With military aircraft and soldiers?"

I grabbed my towel and put it on.

"You insulted her, America. You said you were sure she was a revolutionary nest."

"I didn't tell her that exactly. Come on."

"You said such ugly things to her she bursted into tears."

"You and I know how sensitive women are."

"Did you really think she wouldn't have done everything necessary to stop it if she had suspected she had the movement at her home?"

"I'm not saying Mexico's protecting them" America replied while taking his sunglasses off. "It's just that four eyes see more than two."

"She didn't ask you for help. What you did can be considered an invasion. We both know you prefer to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission, but in days like these I think it would be more sensible, if you have a suspicion, you say it clearly and let whoever's place is to act."

America sighed and hit the sunglasses softly against the palm of his hand. He looked at me again and told me:

"Cuba...Did you hear what happened to Poland last night?"

"I've heard something about it."

"Now it turnes out in Japan a journalist has been murdered while she sniffed around the matters of the One World Nation Movement. Shot in the back. You'll agree with me that this is serious."

"It is. But I don't know what your visit has to do with Mexico and me."

"People pay taxes. And in return they want us to give them the guaranty that no madman is going to steal the lifestyle their parents have died for. I'm not saying you are on the movement's side. Absolutely. But we're achieving nothing. Well, yes, we are: each day we wake up with the news that another nation is dying or already dead. We can't get out from our house without protection. I am a firm believer that the best defense is a good attack. I'm not waiting for them to come after me. Look what happened to Switzerland. He was so worried about his little sister Lit, Liech, Lat, whatever it's said, that he didn't think about himself and let the movement take over his house. And where is he now? Inside the vacuum bag of some cleaning lady. This is not the time to be neutral. Nothing is solved by closing our eyes and letting the storm pass. We have to fight if we want to protect our people."

"Protect our people? Or protect ourselves?"

"Isn't it the same?"

"No."

"...Right. I guess so. After all, you..."

"Careful with your next words" I threatened him, pointing at him with a finger.

He stared at me with a smirk. A disgusting superiority smirk.

"You love to act like the hero, right? The United States of America, our savior..."

"If it turns out the United States of America is the only one who has the balls to do something, well, I'm fine with it."

"And how come you ally yourself with those you considered the enemies of democracy two days ago?"

It was my turn to smirk.

"Everyone knows now you, China and Russia go around like a merry gang. The super-friends of freedom. Ha! Do you really think those two give a crap if the movement kills an enemy of theirs? Do you think they won't let anything bad happen to you?"

"We have an objective in common and well formed armies. Together we are unstoppable."

He came so close I could count his freckles. I wasn't afraid of him but when he talked again I didn't like the tone he used with me at all.

"So I guess you know what could happen if it turns out you're hiding something to the rest of the world."

"You're mad. You're absolutely nuts. Get out of here!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure, I will, I'll leave...When I have finished checking a few things. If you have nothing to hide, then I don't know what all this fuss was about..."

After saying this, he turned around to leave.

"Nobody gave you the right to do it!"

"But someone has to" he simply replied.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, America!"

"I've been very kind, Cuba. I appreciate you a lot and I want to see you happy. Now, if I find out you've been letting the movement act in your isles...I may forget about it."

That damned guy put his sunglasses back on and left. In the distance, I saw a military jeep driving near the beach which wasn't evidently ours.

I experienced in my own skin what Mexico told us. America didn't leave a palm without inspection, no building inviolated, no authority unquestioned. He installed a base in Havana. He arrested people he had been looking for for a while. He did what he wanted and I couldn't even complain. There was an international condemnation, but it was as effective as if they had reprimanded the wall.

After me was Brazil. After him, it was Argentina's turn. Then Bolivia. Chile. Colombia. Ecuador. He spared no one.

The worst came when it was Canada's turn. His own brother. Then it became evident that man had gone mad in the name of security.


	27. England III

**_Spirit in the sky_ (Keiino, piano version by Virginia Anton)**

* * *

The hours I spent locked up in the living room were almost as long as those I spent in the trenches back in the 1910s. When I think it was a simple teenager the one who held me captive for so long...

"Shit, why is it taking them so long?..."

Sarah didn't have a good time either. As minutes passed and those minutes became hours and the help she expected didn't come, she became more and more nervous. I saw her taking her phone and making a call without looking away from me in any moment. Nor the gun.

"Gilbert. Sorry, G. It's Sarah. Sarah...eh...V. If you listen this at some point, I have England in my power. In Downing Street. I don't know how much time I have before they come for him, so...uh...if you can hurry..."

"I haven't seen such a disastrous planning since Agincourt" that was what I thought and that was what I said. Because it was becoming obvious that, though armed, she was still a child.

"You shut up! They will be here soon! I hope..."

"Look, girl, I admire you had the courage to get here, getting by my guards and putting a gun in my chest. There's people who have been trying for centuries. But there is no way you can win this."

"How arrogant! There are way more people out there who prefer to kick your butt than kiss it. But, of course, since you're all day in those posh neighborhoods, around the world and in Buckingham you don't see beyond the end of our nose, right? That's what you've done all your life. Child exploitation, sexism, homophobia, racism, poverty, religious intolerance...No one gave you the memo, did they? You do what you do and that's it.

"And what's 'what I do', may I know?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"What all you nations do, hang out with the rich, with those who flatter you and those who are like you! The ones who get up early in the morning to sustain you or risk their lives to get into the country and only ask for some understanding don't matter. My father became crippled for life after working in the construction sector since he was sixteen, building skyscrapers, luxury apartments, so you can boast like 'look how cosmopolitan I am and what a pretty London I have'. Did you ever go say thanks to him? Did you give him a check? To him, the ones who clean the sewers, who take you everywhere by car, the waiters in the conferences? No. And all those historians who lick your arse with exhibitions about your feats and those 'draw your nation' contests and all that shit, you pay all attention to them."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen. I know, you're going to tell me I am too young to-"

"No" I interrupted her. "I was going to say if you were old enough to work, I could hire you to take care of my schedule. I can't believe my ears! Just so you know, miss Know-it-all, every year I give grants to the underprivileged, I collaborate in campaigns from non-governmental associations...

"Handouts!" she protested, interrupting me. "Everybody knows you have a estate like the monarchy, or even bigger! And since you don't work and I doubt you have something left of your loot from your pirate days, that money must have only come from one place! We only want what is ours!"

"Urgh! You are so wrong about everything that I don't even know where to start with!"

"But you can make assumptions like calling everyone who agrees with the One World Nation a murderer and potential tyrants, right?"

"You're pointing at me with a gun."

"I told you I won't shoot if you collaborate pacifically."

"An mere intimidation item, eh? I don't buy it. You did shoot Sealand's people."

"I already told you that was...! I-I don't know! Something must have gone wrong! Maybe they shot first and...!"

"I was there! I saw everything! I saw the corpses! I saw people who were only spending the day at home! I saw the video of my little brother scared, defenseless, before turning into dust!"

Involuntarily my voice broke.

"...He was just a child..."

She looked at me with surprise, then...I'm not sure, but I'd say ashamed. She didn't look at me to the face.

"...I've heard..."

She spoke so lowly I didn't understand what she said the first time she spoke. Then she repeated louder.

"I've heard you come out of the water, sprout like...mushrooms or something like that...You don't have a father or a mother, nor grandparents. Not really. I mean, like...you call each other 'brother' because that makes you feel more human. Less alone."

"Do you have any adopted siblings? Or are you adopted?"

"No. But my best friend does have an adoptive brother."

"And she loves him just like if they had the same blood, doesn't she?"

"Well, yes, but..." her expression relaxed, she even put the gun down. "But...seriously? Was he really your younger brother?"

"Yes...a platform which was abandoned by the end of War World II. One of my sons moved there and claimed sovereignty over the place. Sealand was born in there and..."

"Wait. Sons?"

"Yes, well, we...usually call the people who are born in our land our children. You, having been born here, are my daughter."

She wrinkled her nose.

"I'm not your daughter. I have nothing to do with you. And how do you know I...?"

"I've seen your birth. Yours and your ancestors. I've been there all your life. I have raised you."

"Big bullshit. You're crazy."

It was evident she didn't understand, and I resolved to make her understand.

"Give me your hand."

"Eh."

"Give it to me."

"Bollocks."

So I took it by force. She was about to yell something, but went still, confused. Her lips moved to pronounce a 'what' which died in her mouth. I saw the skin of her arms crawl.

_Raindrops hitting the windows of a house. A steaming tea, which warms your bones—can you savor it, Sarah? you used to drink a lot of it with your grandmother when you used to go visit her to Brighton—. But there are also sun rays among the clouds. That's what my hair is made of. Names. Dickens, Shakespeare, Austen, Byron, Shelley, Tolkien, Christie. There are many others. Too many to mention, but you know them all. Chaplin, Lennon, Nelson, Carter, Atkinson, Darwin, Newton, McKellen, Ramsey, Blake, Banksy, Cook, Drake, Hitchcock, Bowie. Look into my eyes. They say I was born from the sea—you feel the cold of the water in your skin, I can feel it; you too must be hearing the breaking of the waves—, but in my eyes you will see the countryside. Those little stone houses in a green grass sea. The forests, Sarah. There are things hiding there. There is something everywhere for those who know where to look. You are still young, but the smell of a pint isn't unknown to you. When you get older perhaps you will know how good a beer tastes in a tavern after a long day of hard work..._

Sarah removed the hand suddenly. She looked at me scared. I didn't want her to be. It wasn't my intention.

"What did you just do?" she asked in a whisper.

"That's part of what I am. I am the sum of the feelings, ideas and experiences of millions of people over the centuries. Including you. I am part of you and you are part of me."

She drew back. When she was scared Sarah looked like the child she actually was. She didn't speak to me again in a while.

"Don't you ever do that again. Did you hear me? If you ever..."

"What's the matter? Didn't you want to eliminate me? Then you must know what you are eliminating."

"They were right. You are monsters."

"Maybe we are. But what are you?" I approached to her now that her guard was down. "Destroying the inheritance of thousands of years."

"D-Don't get any closer!"

She didn't shoot even though the gun was pressed against my chest. I snatched it from her after a fight and I saw why.

It was a fake.

How stupid I am.

But that was the end of the farce. Now Sarah was nothing but a little girl who was forced to try to subdue me in a mano a mano fight, and I did have an advantage there. I have thousands of years of experience fighting behind me, much before guns were invented, I have fought with nothing but my fists. She simply had nothing to do against me. She tried to smash a vase China gave to me against my head but I grabbed her and immobilized her against the wall.

"And now what am I supposed to do with you?"

They knocked at the door, which made us both jump.

"Mr. England?" it was one of my bodyguards, Lance.

"Y-Yes?"

"Miss Belgium just called to tell you about an urgent country reunion. Should I confirm your attendance?" he spoke with caution. He knew I had isolated myself in my house, washing my hands of everything and everyone since Sealand died. He knew I spent the day talking to ethereal beings. I had broken one or two objects on purpose.

I glanced at Sarah. I saw her terrified. She had started to realize what she had just done. Her life had gone to hell right at the start.

"...Yes, please. Let me finished something and I will hear the details."

Lance wasn't heard again. I moved away from Sarah, opened the door and stayed there, holding it.

"I will distract them. If somebody asks, you came to make a delivery."

Sarah looked at me with her eyes wide open, not saying a thing.

"But..."

"Come on. You don't have much time."

She kept staring at me as she made her body work and walked with clumsy steps towards the exit.

I breathed deep and ran a hand through my hair.

That made me understand something: like Sarah, there was a lot of people the One World Nation Movement had manipulated, they had made them think it was us and the only us to blame for everything bad happening in their lives. They had to erase all that uncomfortable past to create a better future. I had seen that a lot of times before and it was happening again. Humanity simply doesn't learn. But it is not the fault of those who simply want things to change.

And that girl...

She had just left and I wished to see her again.

'I know, you're going to tell me I am too young to...'

She resembled Peter so much...


	28. Japan

I wasn't angry. Just confused. I didn't know why they hid that information from me until the moment I opened the newspaper of the day and I read the article. I suppose they thought I was too absorbed by everything concerning China and they didn't want to give me more worries.

It was true, partially. China's moves worried me. I followed them with closest attention than anything referent to the movement.

There were things we found out when everything was over, not before. Even thought there were attempts to silence what the Triumvirate did, formed by America, Russia and China, there were people who leaked some archives. For instance, the one which reflected that when the moment to divide the world, China got power to act over all Asia and Oceania. He wasted no time.

Close to the date when we found out about a new death, Akhzivland's, a little micro-nation linked to Israel, China invaded New Zealand. He used a lot of verbal flourish to justify it, but facts are facts: that was an invasion through and through. Australia stood up for his beloved neighbor but that didn't make China retract. The worst thing about it is it worked. They found the operation base of the One World Nation Movement in Auckland, in a farm property of a woman called Alice Meyers, who was also the leader of that faction. They conspired to wipe Wy out. What followed was a big quarrel with New Zealand's government to know who could judge the people arrested. Tribunals ended up favoring New Zealand. China had fought for his prey like a hound and it was difficult to him to accept the sentence. After his decision of executing Geng Mu, participant in Sealand's slaughter, it seemed clear China was not going to give the members of the movement he found a fair trial. There were people who said we had to be hard on them. After all, right before getting Meyers she immediately revealed the names of her collaborators in the Antipodes.

Asia had to be freed and that was China's obsession.

India collaborated with him putting his police and authorities to work on the search for people with a record for participating in anti-system revolts. Unlike Thailand, he did it because he really wanted to know who was behind his sickness. The ideology of the movement had affected deeply the minds of his people, specially the lowest classes. Riots and protests were frequent. He was sick and wanted to end his suffering as soon as possible. As for Malasia, he always claimed China left him no choice. South Korea was delighted to help China. I even know he gave him technological support, like surveillance cameras and drones to make the job easier. His brother's bosses were also China's allies in the destruction of this threat. In face, they found three members of the group who were precisely born there.

Even though certainly the movement had a bloody record, the Asian branch seemed to be the most violent since its very beginning. Not consulting their colleagues from the other continents, they sailed to Sealand, erased the population and recorded the video in which the nation died to deliver a message. They wanted to do the same with everyone they found. That was the only thing Pyongyang could find out. One of them got to evade all surveillance onto him and hanged himself in his cell. The other two...they were never heard from again.

The situation with Hong Kong was tense. There had been hard confrontations with him, that is why China suspected the movement could have fused with the protests against him. That is, he made it personal. Using disproportionate force, he carried out massive detentions and interrogated harshly every protester he captured. Taiwan told me she was scared, she had to let him into her house and collaborate with him if she didn't want to make things difficult.

I expected China to appear in any moment at my house. Maybe with that old big brother coming to visit the younger sibling story.

I followed all of that with such interest I didn't notice what happened in my own place.

He movement had created a political party for the elections for the House of Representatives. Or at least they had tried.

I read the articles I found about the matter. I also asked everyone I came across.

There was nothing to fear, they told me. They were declared illegal son after being created because of their statements against the emperor and the government. Among some other things, like some of the members having published messages of support to those who attacked Sealand on social media, but I believe that was the real reason, from all things they had been accused of.

I can't say I was relieved. Now that I saw beyond China, I could see that the decision to make the party (O.W.N) illegal had caused a stir. Many said in a democracy all voices had to be heard, even the uncomfortable ones. It was not proven that their members had commited any crime. There were demonstrationsd. Some international organization protested. They accused me of silencing those who were against me.

They told me there was nothing to fear. But I was restless indeed. I started to feel migraines. The movement had organized in my house. They were acting as martyrs, encouraged by the abuses the Triumvirate was committing around the world. And China would intervene soon.


	29. Canada IV

**_The Kraken_ (Hans Zimmer)**

* * *

"What was Greszczyszyn like?"

"Well...I don't think he was in his sound mind. I think after what happened to him at Gulf he was left weak in the head. He celebrated Greenland's, Switzerland's, Austria's and Akhvizland's death as if his team had won the World Cup of hockey. Then, after the fall of the Oceanic section, he changed completely, he was furious. For days, I heard insults to China I really don't want to repeat out of respect to him and his people.

» Suddenly he considered we were not the progress needed. I think Ughetti was pressing him to get better results, like getting to convince enough people to form a political party, like in Japan. Or maybe his deliriums made him have those mood swings. He gathered us the 24th of december to tighten our screws. 'The movement has gained enough publicity to be invited to a talk show on Channel 5. Millions of Canadians watch it. It is shared on social media, to people from all around the world. If we play our cards right, we will be on everyone's mouth", he said. And he pointed at me and Uri. Uri because, he said, he was from a fairly low socio-economic background and being in a wheelchair would make him more sympathetic. Me, because I was supposedly cultured and had a sweet voice. I was not sure about it, I told him, and he said I'd do it fine. I had to think about the common good. That was what he said to us when he called us. It was Christmas Eve and there we were, conspiring. The movement was more important to them than family, friends, everything else.

"But that never happened, because America appeared."

"Yes..."

"A couple of weaks ago they released the brutal images your cameras on your fake button captured, but I would like that you told us about it, Mr. Canada.

"Of course. I will start saying America didn't contact me or my government in any moment to ask for permission or ask us our opinion on the matter. He simply came in. Like a wrecking ball. I had talked to my Defense minister and we had agreed to use the invitation to the program to arrest Greszyszyn and the other people implied. It was supposed to be something simple, with no injured, no complications. And...well, everything went down the drain."

» I was chatting with the guys while we planned a protest against Japan because of the illegalization of the O.W.N. party. We were simply talking about our things. Christmas. Only Anaïs believes in Jesus Christ and that was before, because she was there to end with religion among other things, but I had bought them presents anyway. Little things. I liked them. I was not pretending. I really liked them and I regret not having met them in other circumstances. And as we were talking about small stuff, like gingerbread houses and horrendous Christmas sweaters, a sound which seemed like background noise at first started getting intense, until there was no way to ignore it. It was a helicopter which flew over the Factory. Suddenly, all those uniformed people appeared and pointed at us with assault rifles. 'Hands on your head! Down!', they yelled at us. I don't know how many were there, I couldn't count them. They pushed us to the floor. They even knocked Uri down from his wheelchair.

"Uh!"

"Yeah, 'uh!'...And the worst of all is that he was there. My brother. He jumped out of the helicopter with a rope. He was dressed for the occasion, armed too, and I am sure he had an epic soundtrack in his head, for the way he moved, like he was the protagonist of some movie. I was about to scream his name, but that would have made things worse. I just did what I was told and would clear everything up later. But then Greszyszyn showed how mad he was. I only know a shot was heard, then another, a burst, and then I saw him running to us. He was dragging one of America's men with him, using him as a shield. He threatened them. Insulted them. America ordered not to shoot and insulted him back for playing dirty (I'm sorry I'm not more explicit, but children might be watching this). In the meantime, he looked for ways to shoot him in the head without doing harm to his soldier. Greszyszyn approached us, told us 'let's go!', and made us go with him. I could do nothing but follow him. I avoided America's eyes. Maybe I could have revealed myself, but that that moment Greszyszyn was out of his mind and he would have gone crazier if I had done that. 'And now, goodbye. Good bless the (…) United States of America, the most (….) nation in the whole world', he said. And it made America mad. He wasn't going anybody make a fool of him. So he aimed at him with his rifle and shouted something."

"Did he shoot?"

"Oh, yeah, he did! He missed and hit Walter in the gluteus. Greszyszyn responded blowing the head of the man he had retained. I am sorry I can't describe in much detail what happened next, but it was a real hail of bullets. Greszyszyn showed off, he ran away. He grabbed my wrist and we got the heck out of there. I tried to grab Youssef, but got shot in my hand. Then they got me in the neck, but I kept running. They had already shot me there in Normandy and it is not pleasant at all, but I was still alive, I couldn't die. The one who did seem immortal was Greszyszyn. Bullets scraped against his skin but didn't get him. He ran and shot like a madman. He normally seemed like a tough guy but in the battlefiled he turned into an animal. He killed five of America's soldiers on his own. And I swear I have no idea of how he got alive from that, with so many people shooting. It was the most confusing thing I have experienced in my whole life. He made me jump out of a window. I fell and twisted my ankle. Greszyszyn made me get up and keep running. We got into his car. They almost turned it into a sieve, but somehow it worked.

"We have some images here from the chase, it looks like a movie!"

"Wow, it's even worse when you see if from outside…"

"It seems you got to elude the army with many suicidal moves."

"Oh, yes. As I said, Greszyszyn was in the army. He was a superb soldier. And worst of all: he hated America and if he had to die by his hand, he would die causing as much harm as possible. In order to escape, he went into traffic and caused a real mayhem. All of the people there were celebrating Christmas Eve and he provoked a good number of accidents."

"Once you threw America and his army off the track, where did you go?"

"We escaped to Quebec. There, Greszyszyn allowed himself to stop and breathe. 'Are you alright, boy?', he asked me. I was covered in blood but my wounds had healed already. He was satisfied. He said I was tough. 'Those sons of (…) found us', he said. 'That damned America has to ruin everything. Good thing U was not here. We have to meet her at the European base. The Triumvirate is bothering us too much and it is time to make them pay'. He was happy he had given America a hard time, but furious because he had broken up the branch he was responsible of. From that moment on, the only thing in his mind was revenge.

"Terrible! And didn't you find any obstacle to cross the ocean?"

"Apparently, in order to avoid control at the airports, the American movement was banded together with the owner of a vessel who helped them in their trips abroad. That man gave us everything necessary to escape with no problema. I was left alone with Greszyszyn, in the middle of the ocean. He wasn't a very talkative man, but he saw I was scared and made an effort to be. 'Boy, you have some guts. I like that. The world is getting softer. They want stuff, but they can't get up from the sofa, leave the pone and get it. People like you are the ones who will change the world. Look at you! Filled with blood and not a scratch! I really admire you. You'll see when you meet the Europeans. There's a couple of them who are nuts, but they're Good guys. Amateurs, but good at their job."

"For the moment, he didn't suspect about you."

"Absolutely. He even let me see the map. I took the chance when he was distracted for a momento, sweing a wound of his, and took a photo. The bad thing is that he caught me. 'What are you doing with that phone? You fool, they can spy on us with that!'. He grabbed it and threw it off board. My bosses couldn't follow my trace now.

"Then how did you manage to give the coordinates of the base of the movement in Europe?"

"I had the time to send the photo to the first contact which appeared in my list."


	30. Sweden

**_The finale, part 2 _****(Danny Elfman, from_ Batman Returns_ OST)**

* * *

Christmas arrived. There was nothing to celebrate. Germany's government had no news from their nation after an alledged car crash in which his bodyguard had died. Liechtenstein was still missing too. Russia loomed over Europe like a grim shadow. Switzerland, Austria, Akhzivland, Greenland...Sealand, were dead. Spain and Ukraine seemed to be the next ones to fall. England and France had isolated themselves from the rest of the world. Even those of us who thought were at peace with our citizens were in the target of the movement.

Despite all of this, the whole world found somewhere in their house a package with a present. Even I. And I know who it was from.

I knocked at the door. They didn't open immediately. Finland's bodyguards told me he was at the sauna, and called him for me. Apparently, he spent a lot of time at the sauna lately.

When he came out, I asked him:

"Was this your idea?"

I pointed at the sweater I held in my hands. Blue, with embroidery which imitated the sea waves. Finland smiled.

"It's been really cold lately and you could use something warm" he replied.

I said nothing.

"I thought you'd drop in. You know...for Christmas" he said, looking shyly at me.

"I thought you wouldn't want to…"

Finland smiled, sighing.

"Well, yes, it is true we've been short on good news, right? But...Well...At least we have each other...Even if it's just for now...That's something to celebrate, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Now that you are here, would you like to stay and have dinner together?"

I didn't reply that time either. Finland's smile disappeared slowly. I understood why he spent so much time in the sauna. At those times he was the one who made the effort to smile, despite everything. The one who said everything would be alright. The one who went to the trouble of giving his friends presents for Christmas one more year. But he locked himself up with the steam was because even he needed to let out what he really felt from time to time. When he looked at me, I knew he didn't have many reasons to smile for either. But he tried. He put all of his effort in it.

"...What happened to Sealand...I know it was horrible...It's been so hard for me not to prepare a gift for him like every year, you have no idea...I still expect him to show up around the corner to try to scare us, as he used to do...B-But...I don't know...I don't think he would have wanted us to wallow in misery...That's...That's what the movement want's, right? To destroy us...Destroy our lifestyle...And I don't want that...I've come a long way to get to where I wanted to be...And I don't want to lose that...I don't want to lose my Friends...This Christmas...

He stopped himself there and made a great effort to fight the tears.

I approached him, caressed his shoulder, because I didn't know what else could confort him.

I came up with something else, but that was something I needed.

I know you won't tell anybody, Hanatamago. Good boy. I leaned over him and kissed his lips.

And, you know what? He didn't resist. He didn't yell. He didn't slap me, even though I probably deserved it. He simply sighed deeply. Tiredly. He let me in and we had dinner together, and we didn't speak about it.

I know why he did that. I know why that year all nations had received an ellaborated present, selected with all care. I know why he let me kiss him. Because that could have been our last Christmas.


	31. Romano IV

I don't try to justify myself. I just want to clarify why I did what I did.

Spain was getting worse. He was delirious all day long. He didn't stop until he was taken to the monastery of El Escorial to die there, among reliquaries, tombs of old kings he once knew, in the room where centuries before his King Philip II, who he loved a lot, died. The worst thing is I couldn't say to him he was exaggerating. His people seemed to be wanting to see him dead, and those who defended him did it shyly. Our people organized protests in front of our house to hold what our governments had decided against us. They put in inside our mailboz a photo of the corpses of Mussolini and Petacci hanged upside down in Loreto, along with a threat. I couldn't stand Veneziano. Even though Austria had been mean to him when he was small, when he died he lamented it as if he was his own father. He couldn't find confort in his soul sister, the potato eater, because nobody had heard from him in a long time, and all that was known was that they had found his car wrecked and his bodyguard dead. His friend France didn't seem available either: he called him every hour and he never answered. The frog seemed to be dead too, because nobody could get in touch with him. He was anxious, depressed, and there was only one thing that could calm him down, and it wasn't pasta precisely. It was his girlfriend. She was with him all the time, caressing his hair, hugging him, telling him everything would be alright. It wouldn't, damn it! Things were in the deepest of shits!

I went to the market to have a stroll. Veneziano insisted and I couldn't prevent him from coming with me. He talked and talked; I didn't listen to any word he said. It was her girlfriend's duty to listen to her idiocies, not mine. I just watched the shop windows looking for some whim that could make me feel a little better. The idea of getting a bottle of whine and drinking it in the bathtub was tempting me. Alone. With a CD of Rafaella Carrà playing.

But those stronzi had to show up and ruin everything.

"Hey, you two" I told Fanelli and Veneziano. "Cut it off, everyone's looking at us."

"Hi!" was what my brother replied, waving his hand, the moron. Only Fanelli got embarrassed. She turned red.

"Truth is, Feli" Feli! Oh, come on!, "he is right, it's a bit embarrassing for me to go on public…"

"I like everyone to see the pretty _ragazza_ I have" Veneziano said, and he melted her heart with that.

Disgusting. But the thing is they were not looking at us because of that.

"Hey, you!"

It was a man who stared at us from the door of a bar, where he was smoking a cigarette.

"You should be kicking out all those corrupts you have in the government, instead of mingling with the ladies, like letches."

Fanelli took the hint and blushed even more.

"How much do they pay you for going to bed with those two?" he asked her.

"Please, signor, you're mistaken" Veneziano told him with a lot of tact, but getting between him and Fanelli.

"Sure, sure. That's what you always say. It's a mistake. Nothing but a mistake. You're so nice, it's the Press, who manipulates everything. I am old and I know all of those. We break our backs working to pay for your hoes."

That hurt Veneziano. He didn't understand why they talked about his fianceé that way. He freezed up. I think he didn't know whether to react with sadness or fury. Fanelli wanted to get us out of there. Rocco was about to tell him something. But it had to be me the one who reacted.

"Listen, clown, leave us alone, will you?" I told him.

"Or else?" that fatso got cocky, approached me and touched my chest with those sausage fingers of his. "You are a scoundrel and a slaphappy who can't resist a fight against my five year-old granddaughter. You and your friends won't get alive to the next year."

I couldn't take a fight with his granddaughter, he said. Well, I could fight him. I could wreck him. And I showed him.

Everybody around him started to scream. People walked out of the shops and the bars to look. They recorded me with their phones. Those who came with me tried to hold me and try to make me reason but...as I said, I was fed up, and that imbecile got to drive me up the Wall. Rocco pushed me aside and some of that guy's friends took him to the other side.

The man's nose was bleeding. He glared at me.

"_Fligio di un cane!_" he exclaimed.

"You are un fligio di un cane!" I replied.

"Fratello!" Veneziano told me.

"Mr. Romano, please!" Rocco said.

"Let them be, soon they'll become nothing but dust to step on!" grunted one of the guy's friends.

"They're not worth it, these pieces of shit!" another one said.

"Maybe, but I still have time to beat you up, you swines!" I yelled.

They dragged me out of there. All the street was looking at us, and there was not even one sympathetic look.

"What an embarrassment!"

"And you represent us?"

"You jerks!"

"Die already!"

"Easy, easy" I heard Fanelli say to my brother. "Get out of the way! Move!"

"We'd better go home now" Rocco said. Fanelli agreed.

I only regret half of what I did. It is true I shouldn't have beaten him. But that idiot deserved it for insulting us.

Still, there was no necessity to follow us to the car.

We had just got in when they hit the glass. They were kids who weren't even involved. I don't know if they were relatives or what. But they were mad at us.

"You're gonna burn, you pigs!"

"Sons of bitches!"

Rocco came out to shoo them away. I got heated once again and did what I thought was the best at that momento. I jumped to the driver's seat and started the car. I knocked that gang over.

"Romano!" Veneziano exclaimed.

"Piss off!" I said.

We left them and Rocco behind. Some time after I found out that, after it, they made Rocco pay and he ended up in the hospital with eight stitches in the head. I am very sorry for him. It was a bad day. I made a lot of wrong decisions.

The people in front of us did nothing but scream. Some insulted us. That worsened my bad mood.

"Wait, where are you…?" Fanelli tried to ask, and I didn't reply.

I had no idea of where I was going, but far away from there, as far as possible. None of them two said anything until I stopped, after almost an hour driving. Not even I know where we were. It was the countryside, filled with olive grodes, where the roads were unmade. It was peaceful, but because it was far from the province. I got out of the car and breathed deeply. Veneziano and Fanelli got out too. I stood there, simply breathing deep, watching the sunset with my hands behind my head.

"You're not what they called you, Carlotta. I love you."

"Thank you, Feliciano. Don't listen to them, either."

"I'm not angry at them, you know? Surely it was just a bad day."

"Yes, surely it was that."

Veneziano's phone rang.

"Oh. It's a message from—Canada?"

"Canada? What is that?" I asked as I turned around.

"It's a picture. Hey, Romano, do we play the lottery in the UN?"

"What are you saying?"

"Those are not lottery numbers, they are coordinates" Fanelli said. "63º 36' 13.99'' North latitude, 19º 45' 38.538'' West Longitude."

"And what does that mean?" Veneziano asked.

"I'm not sure. Doesn't it come with a message?"

"Only an emoji. Two hands together."

"I don't get it" I said.

"It seems like a...request?" Fanelli conjectured.

Veneziano replied to the text asking Canada what they meant, but got no answer. It seemed they hadn't even received the message.

"What if we go there?"

Fanelli and I finally agreed on something: we both looked at Veneziano as if he had lost his mind.

"It seems he or she is asking us to go there."

"Wait a moment" Fanelli checked her phone. "Feli! It's Iceland! Those coordinates correspond to some place at the West of the isle!"

"Whatever it is, it seems important."

"Or maybe they sent it to the wrong person" I said. "Come on, man. We have more important things to think about."

"Well, I'm going there. You've always been better than I on thinking."

"Feli! But you don't even know what this is about!" Fanelli took his hands.

"What is sure is that I'm doing nobody a favor being here. It'd be better if I left for some time, don't you think? You don't have to come with me. It is me who got the text."

"And you think I'm going to let you do this crazy thing" Fanelli smiled "alone? You're my fiance. And my protegé. I won't leave you alone."

"Oh, Carlotta...Hey! This could be our pre-honeymoon!"

"Yes!"

"And you, Romano..."

"Yeah, sure! I'm going to stay where people throw stones at my head! What you're about to do is crazy...But it's even crazier to stay here with everything going on now. Alright. Okay. We will go. Maybe we're still in time to get a plane."

Had I known what I was getting myself into, I would have rushed back to the city to face the mob and I wouldn't have let Veneziano and Fanelli go there. Fuck, I would have jumped into the shark tank at the aquarium.


	32. Germany II

After losing the war, the Allies divided up our territories...and ourselves. During twenty eight years a wall kept my brother Prussia and I apart from each other. Twenty eight years not seeing each other, not being able to communicate. Until our people, from both sides, grabbed their tools and their courage and tore it down. It was November 9th of 1989 when Prussia and I hugged again. The celebration lasted for days. We didn't move apart from each other in a long time. But much before all the One World Nation Movement issue started I hadn't seen my brother.

And when I saw him again, he was accompanying my kidnappers.

"What did Snow White come here for?"

"Oh, come on, GB, that's racist."

"Hey, he calls me Milk Man, isn't that racist?"

"He is here to decide what we should do after what happened in America."

"What happened in America?"

"We lost the continent. The Yankee busted in with his men and shot up the place."

"What? Fucking shit!"

"That's why we've summoned our African and Asian brothers and sisters. To organize ourselves and decide our response."

"My response would be a kick in the nuts."

I couldn't see anything. They had put a black hood on me. But I could listen. And it was not my imagination: one of the voices I heard, perhaps the loudest, was my brother's.

I was still puzzled. They had moved me with the delicateness one has with a sack of potatoes. That Jewish woman took advantage on any occasion she had to hit and stomp on me. The man with the Donald Duck mask...it was evident he was excited about being so close to a nation, because he did nothing but touch me and have his breath on me. Terribly uncomfortable. And Prussia...What on earth was Prussia doing with them?

The clattering ceased. They took me out by force and then I saw again. Only a light bulb illuminated the place we were in, and it blinded me.

"Look at him. He even looks like a good guy."

It took me a bit to be able to see again. By then, I could figure that the figure in front of me was Prussia's, who looked at me with his hands on his hips, grinning with superiority.

"Go and don't worry, I'll take care of this one."

"Don't forget what I told you."

"Sure."

They closed the door and I was left alone with him.

"Prussia! What do you think you're...?!"

Prussia hurriedly silenced me with exaggerated gestures.

"Shut up! You don't know me, okay?!"

"What is this all about? If this is one of you and your friends' pranks...!"

"This is not a prank, this is very serious...I immersed myself in the movement..."

"What?"

"These people act like they're so cultured and enlightened but they have no idea of what Prussia is! I'm dead to the world, and I've found a way to make use of it! I couldn't just cross my arms, okay? Those sons of bitches killed Austria. They're about to do the same to Spain. They're screwing France all the time and they got to made him fall into despair. I want revenge..."

"And why didn't the government tell me about this?"

"Pfft! Because they don't know! I'm not implicating any government. This is my own business. No bureaucrats in the way. Like in the old times."

"This is crazy, what if they find out?"

"We will see about that. Look, I-I'm close to Liechtenstein! We're on our way to Iceland! That's where they got her! I'll reach her and take her out of where they have her! You only...have to go along with me. They want to use you to fuck with the European Union. They'll beat you some more. It's possible they even cut one of your ears and sent it to the chancellor by mail. But we're close to end these guys."

"All you're saying is a delirium and it's going to end up bad."

"Yeah, nice encouragement" he grunted, and couldn't say anything else because a woman, of black race, came into the room and stared at me.

"What a hunk."

"It's almost a pity having to cut him into smithereens, heh?" Prussia smirked, changing his tone completely to talk to her.

"Yes. If he wasn't a country, he would make a sweet model."

The woman approached me.

"Do you know why you are here, Federal Republic of Germany?"

"Yes."

"Good. We want you to know this is not personal."

"Some of your collaborators do not agree."

The woman smiled.

"One can't destroy Europe and cause a genocide without making some enemies. I know you've been a good boy these years. An important figure in the European Union. A good influence. That's why it makes me a little sad to think you have to disappear now. But that's like. You have to tear the old down to build something new."

"Just what you reproach certain countries and religions."

"We are not moved by greed or the desire for supremacy. We only want humanity's progress. A world where there are no differences, where there is no reason to fight for, where the citizen of Uganda has the same chances to progress as one from Finland. You don't understand, of course, but..."

"I understand perfectly. I've heard that story many times before."

"Tell me something, since you've had such a long life you've had the chance to listen to so many stories: have you ever thought of what awaits you when it is over? What do you think will happen to you? Will your reincarnate in a real human being, in the world we will create? Will you go to Heaven? Or Hell? I wonder if nations like you have a soul someone can judge. Or maybe...the emptiness. The eternal sleep.

"Madame, as much as I like philosophy, there is just one question that interests me: what did you do to Liechtenstein?"

"Don't worry about her. She is in a safe place."

"She did nothing to you. She is just a principality. Pick on someone who is a real threat."

"This is not about eliminating those who have been bad. It's about picking up the pieces and starting over. The child has given us some useful information: it seems you nations have a healing factor which makes it understandable why in more naive times you were considered deities. I have been shown videos and photos which have left me shocked, frankly."

"Hurting a defenseless child..."

"Well. Look at it this way: she only looks like a child. Just like you're only a man for your looks."

"Shit, M..."

The woman turned to Prussia.

"What's the matter?" Prussia asked.

"The Africans. Russia has pissed them off by sending troops to Senegal and Kenya. And what did they do? They're trying to storm the Kremlin!"

They forgot about me for a while as they were absorbed watching something in Prussia's phone. I tried to grasp something, but I could only hear a cacophony, an enormous fuss, with screams and shots?

"They're shooting at them with real munition!" the woman exclaimed.

"Well, the Africans mean business too, fuck, that cocktail exploded in the facade of the cathedral!"

"My God, no, everything's going wrong..."

The woman let out a grunt, pressing her clenched hand on her mouth.

"I have to talk to C immediately..." she muttered before rushing out.

Prussia were left alone once agian.

"What is happening?"

"You know the Triumvirate, America, Russia and China, have divided the world like it's a cake, right?"

"Those were only rumors..."

"No rumors: they're not hiding it anymore. America's in charge of all North and South America, including Greenland; China, of Asia and Oceania and Russia, of Europe and Africa. I don't know what the fuck they're doing, but they've done the movement and everyone they've come across a lot of harm. We just found out America has ended with the movement in his continent and Russia has threatened Africa, and it seems they didn't like it. They gathered a big group and they're trying to attack the Kremlin. Russia has used his army to stop them, it's being brutal! People have died in there for sure! Look, Russia's speaking live...

After making sure there was no one around, he approached me to look at the screen together.

"No comments" Russia said. He smiled. By God, that smile, the one I saw as he destroyed me, as he ripped me apart, as he slaughtered me. "Just...they will get what we receive multiplied...It sounds like a good deal to me, don't you think?" And with that he disappeared through a corridor. Serbia was by his side and, by the look on her face, she didn't seem at ease.

"This is not ending up well..." Prussia said.

And he wanted to say more, but steps were heard and he had to reprise his role as the captor.

He punched me in the mouth.

"Eh!"

"Don't depart from the script" he warned me before saying much louder, when people started to come in. "Take that, you piece of shit! That will teach you to talk people back!"


	33. Seychelles

**Becoming (Really Slow Motion)**

* * *

France was suffering terribly and no one cared.

His friends were only concerned about themselves and those closer to them, and those who may have been there for him were either dying or missing. It had to be me the one to check on him. I remember being very angry at Canada for turning his back on him...I didn't know what he was going through at the moment...

I didn't find France at his house. They told me he had gone out for a walk for the first time in a long time. He had left his phone at home. I figured I could visit the places he used to frequent, which were dear to him.

And I did right. After some hours of search, near lunchtime, I found him at the Moulin Rouge.

The establishment was not open to the public yet. There was only staff in there who took care of some work before night fell and the shows started. But in France's head the Moulin was very much alive. There was light, there was music. Around him people wooed the ladies and gentlemen who did their performances on the stage, there was alcohol, smoke of cigarettes in the air, exclamations of wonder and scandal. People who long since lived only in his memory.

Did France seek comfort among the dead, sat in the shadows of an enormous empty room? Did he want to revive the happiness he felt in other times?

When he saw me approaching, he stood up from his seat, muttering my name, as if he didn't believe I was really there.

"Hi, papa."

"What are you doing here?" he asked me as he hugged me. My God, I said to myself, he looked twenty years older.

"I came to see you, papa. I heard you were not okay and maybe you could want some company."

"I'm alright but how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yes."

He looked at me as if he didn't believe it. His hand touched my chin with affection, with immense sadness.

"Ma petite Seychelles...I'm glad you're safe..."

"What are you doing here, papa? It's closed."

France looked around him and sighed through his nose.

"I was saying goodbye."

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes. I don't know where. But I'm definitely leaving..."

"Don't say that."

"They attacked the Pantheon yesterday. They didn't even respect the tombs of the dead...they almost took Voltaire out of his. They threw paint over Jeanne's murals...Everywhere I look I see these signs which say 'Let's sell the Tour Eiffel to the junkyard'."

"You're not your monuments. You're something deeper than that."

"That's where it starts, Seychelles. Erasing history, the memories. There will come a moment when a generation will replace the existing ones, and they won't know who Napoleon Bonaparte was, what happened in Verdun, what the guillotine meant, or the flame under the Arc de Triomphe, or the Marsellaise. And since they won't remember, they will make the same mistakes I made."

"Everything will be alright, you'll see."

He tried to smile. He touched my hair with love, not like the satyr people said he was (and at some point I believed he was, myself), but like a father whose daughter is back to his arms. I really hoped he found some comfort in me, even just a little.

"Let's take a walk, France. You know I love to come to your beautiful city."

"It will be a pleasure."

Even though a bit reluctant, France called his bodyguards and together we left the Moulin Rouge enjoying their never ending party.

France loved his Paris. He had always been proud of her, but that time...I understood his worry as we walked around the city. The posters and graffitis made by the movement filled the facades, every surface, in fact. We found people who looked at him in a way that scared me.

"Pig" I heard somebody murmur in our path.

Even in the company of France's bodyguards I didn't feel very safe. I didn't let go of his arm in any moment.

When I turned my head to him, I saw him dejected, serious. That was not France. He looked nothing like the one I knew. I tried to bring him back with a conversation which was as far as possible from the state of things, but it didn't succeed. When I made a comment about the sun, he sighed for his friend Spain.

Only one thing snapped him out of it, and I didn't do it.

An explosion was heard behind us. It didn't hurt us, but France's bodyguards took us away immediately and he...

"Papa! France!"

He touched his forehead. I thought he was hurt, even if there was no blood. He turned around, wobbling. And then he saw what was going on.

The Pont des Arts. The one which had to be redesigned because of the thousands of love locks. World Heritage Site. It did not exist anymore.

"A bomb!"

"Run!"

"Everybody out of here, go away now!"

I pulled France, who was stuck in the place, looking at the space which now the smoke was filling. We moved away from there, not much, to a safe place, and there his bodyguards took care of him.

I remember having asked myself if there was someone there, in the bridge. Good Lord, was someone in there?

"Mr. France?" one of them asked.

He didn't react. I approached to touch his cheeks. He was so pale...

"Papa..." I called him.

I looked away from him to look around me. There was a lot of people staring at us. The bodyguards did everything possible to take care of him and get them away.

I remember having hated them. All of them. Looking as their nation suffered enormously. Forgetting everything he had done for them, just like everybody else. They were accomplices of those who were destroying the treasures of his past, everything dear to him. I embraced him and I would have ripped off the head of whoever had come closer.

Someone did. A bald, black man approached. France's bodyguards prevented him from taking more than three steps towards us. But he didn't want to hurt him. I turned to him and I saw big tears running down his cheeks.

The man, to my surprise, started singing in low voice:

"_Allons enfants de la Patrie...Le jour de gloire est arrivé...Contre nous de la tyrannie..._"

A red-haired woman at our left, who was holding the hand of a five-year old boy, sang along as much as her trembling throat allowed her:

_"L'étendard sanglant est levé...L'étendard sanglant est levé_..."

There were five people singing now. One of them was a man with a mustache whose voice stood up in the crowd. When France blinked, starting to react, they were ten. An old lady sang too with tears in her eyes. There was also a couple of boys who, in spite of their hipster looks, joined them.

"_Entendez-vous dans les campagnes mugir ces féroces soldats ? Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras égorger vos fils, vos compagnes!_"

Everybody around was singing! More and more people approached, only to look at France to the eyes, smile at him, share his tears and sing! I couldn't help smiling when I saw all those people together, so different from each other: women, men, young, adult, old, white, black, Asian, humble-looking, rich; all of them looking after France, singing to him, showing him their affection!

"_Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons! Marchons, marchons! Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons!_"

They finished with an applause and a big cheer.

"Did you see that, Mr. France?" one of his bodyguards was smiling at him like a small child.

"...Yes, Bernard...I saw that..."

France glanced at me. He was smiling. He was smiling at last. It made him look younger, as if the veil was lifted, as if he had returned to life. He got up. People cheered him. 'Vive la France!', they said in choir. He bowed like the showman who finished his show. People applauded him with a lot more enthusiasm. 'We love you, France!', 'Down with the tyrants!', 'With you till death!'.

"As long as there is one French left..." I heard him mutter. "As long as one person believes in me...I'm not going to stop fighting."

Somebody spread a stupid cliché about France being a coward. If the whole world could have seen what I saw, they would have never believed it.

"Seychelles, my dear..."

"Go. Find whoever did this and kick their butts."

"Bernard and Julie will take you home and cook something good for you. I'll make it up to you when this is over. Don't worry, it won't take me long!"

He held my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. Then he ran away.

For the first time in weeks, he didn't run from anybody's accusatory looks. In his way, people smiled at him, said compliments to him. Fed up of the damage to their patrimony, the French people started declaring their love for him aloud, and, without knowing it, gave him his life and youth back.


	34. Egypt

**_The Burning bush _(Hans Zimmer)**

* * *

I know the text and the oral tradition about us. The speculations about our origins, as old as the world, are no strange to me.

There are some who raised from the foam of the sea. From the green grass of a prairie. From the cold and pure snow falling from the sky. From a sun ray. From the mud.

I know what my origins are. I had them in front of me that day, painted on the walls.

A woman with intense blue eyes and Isis' attributes appeared sideways, showing a swollen abdomen. 'The fertile soul of Egypt, who conceives without a man', the inscriptions said. A questionable statement. A rumor has come to me which said that the Roman Empire had much to do with her state, just like it is said about Greece's, who also has a history in common and was born from a woman. But that is another story I don't really care about, not even nowadays. There was my mother, in a four thousand and three hundred years old mural. I couldn't stop looking at her. Although I never forgot her and I won't as long as I live, I needed to see her.

Like a child, I sought my mother in those desperate times looking for advice, guide, maybe the affection I haven't received from her in a long time. It was a burial too damaged to be touristic. No meddling archaeologist ever found it. It was my little secret. My sanctuary.

I saw her died over a thousand years ago, when the last priest who kept her cult switched to the side of those who subdued us and divided my mother's kingdom among each other and renegaded from goddess Isis to worship the Pagan gods. She was beautiful and strong till the end. The sun was falling, I remember. She placed her hands on me to caress me for the last time, gave me a little kiss and said to me: 'be strong, have a long and prosper life and never forget I love you'. And she merged with the sand of the desert, without fear, without pain. As serene as always.

I didn't allow myself to be sad. That was not what she would have wanted. Besides, she never leaved me completely. I could still hear her whispers in the wind.

But those days I went to the temple to visit the tomb in which her portrait was preserved and I thought of her for a long time.

"It is possible that I'll be joining you, mother".

Not even at that time I let fear take over me. Dying, after all, is just a formality.

During all this time I had tried to honor her memory, protect her treasures. Because nobody dies until they are forgotten.

Then they came, like the ten plagues.

With their words, they poisoned the minds of the desperate. They used violence to bring fear into the hearts of the weak. In their pretension to create a new world they tried to destroy the old one.

They went after my neighbors first. Then, I became their victim.

But it was my mother who suffered their attacks.

They destroyed museums. Burnt papyrus. Broke sculptures and palimpsests. They painted the murals in which the gods and pharaohs were represented.

There was no place for theocracy in the new world. Not even as a memory from the past.

They took me by surprise. They found the entrance and demolished it with explosives. The structure was left so damaged there was no need for them to intervene further: it fell down itself.

"MOTHER!"

...

I crawled among stones and sand until I reached the surface. I took in a desperate puff of air. They had left long before, leaving me in the darkness of a sky without stars.

...

Yes. I collaborated with the giant of the cold. Having had his resources, it would have been me who buried them in the sand.

I only did what I had to do to keep the promise I made to her.


	35. Canada V

"Some time later we got to the place, Island. How I regretted not having my phone with me. When we got there, Greszczyszyn rented a car and we drove to Rangárþing Eystra, a small town in the South of Iceland. It was so small anyone there would have being unnoticed. It is understandable they chose Iceland. In his house they barely see the sun and everybody is at home, where it's warm, and not meddling in anyone's business. We got into a house in Skógar, with just twenty five citizens, and none of them seemed to bother to look our the window. In the house we found a boy with glasses they called G, a woman referred to as M, and another one they called GB. I knew that one. It was Prussia."

"Prussia! I think I studied him in high school."

"Yes. He was a nation."

"Wow! And what was he doing there, with all those guys? Was he infiltrated too?"

"It seems so, but I had no idea. I was petrified when I saw him. I did nothing but ask myself if my eyes were not betraying me. I had heard rumors that Prussia had been forgotten and died. He hadn't been seen in some time. I heard some consider him the first victim of the One World Nation Movement. And at that moment I had him right in front of me and I asked myself: was that really Prussia or was the jet lag making me imagine things? He stared at me too, but soon played his role. 'Did you catch this fish in the ocean, IG?' he asked with a grin, pointing at me. 'This is JC. Boy, this is GB. G is for Git and B is for Bastard', he replied. He was joking. They hugged, like good friends. Greszczyszyn told me good things about him. He told them everything about our incident with America. Prussia and his partners praised that we got out of there alive.

» We waited for more people to come. Fifteen minutes later or so, two people with Oriental looks appeared. One of them was Kazuki Ogura, Japanese, and the other was Yao Da, Chinese. 'Where are the others?' asked the woman who called herself M (we knew afterwards her name was Martinez and was from Spain). 'Arrested. Dead' Ogura replied seriously. And like an hour later the African representatives appeared. They were four: Dejen Kirabo, from Zimbabwe; Adisa Cabdiraxman, from Madagascar; Idur Wafula, from Mozambique, and Kagiso Kato, from South Sudan. Things seemed to be going a bit better in Africa. They told us with an enthusiasm that made me shiver how they were focusing on destroying the ancient history of Egypt and overthrowing Morocco's king.

»It was then when Ughetti showed up. It was...a bit like if Darth Vader had come into the Death Star, if you know what I mean...She was a woman with a very...modern look. I don't know how to describe it. Punk, maybe? She was shorter in person, the shortest of the bunch in there, but her presence made everybody go quiet. I even saw some who felt uncomfortable. I felt like that myself.

» 'Good night', she greeted us. 'We all know why we are here, right? It's the Triumvirate'. The only mention of that name created a tense feeling in the air. Now, I thought, if they found out I was not only a country but America's brother, they would tear me apart with their own hands. 'We tried to storm the Kremlin and the damned Russian sent his troops to shoot at us' Wafula said. 'You shouldn't have done that' M intervened. And they looked at her as if she was crazy. 'Why not? They've intervened in countries of our continent to break up our network', they told her. 'He works with China, who has killed our people' Da added. 'And America has been (...) us and it won't be long till he shows up, and Russia will put him a red carpet', Greszczyszyn said by my side as he lit a cigarette, which he shared with Prussia. 'You've put innocent lives in danger', M insisted, and they repeated the same to her: those people deserved it. 'Some collateral casualties are unavoidable' Greszczyszyn said coldly. 'I understand we have to face Russia, China and America, but they blew up the Pont des Arts in Paris yesterday! There were five people wounded! Innocent people!'."

» It was then when Ughetti gave her opinion and made me shiver. 'For what we've seen, we haven't achieved our objectives only with arguments. The idea of nationalism is still too rooted in people's minds. Same with religion. We have tried to do this the gentle way. We tried reaching Japan's elections and they have silenced us. We demanded attention from the media and got it, but the great majority is on their respective nation's side and they have mocked us. If we want to get something done, if we really want changes, it seems we can't trust those from below. We have to start from above, from the highest spheres. And how do you reach the highest spheres? Kicking out the ones in it. And how do you do that?'. 'What you are proposing, U', Ogura told her, 'is a series of coups d'etat. Like the Kremlin's.' 'How acute' she replied. 'But more organized, of course.' 'Of course', then Prussia spoke. 'Losing no more time destroying antiquities. There will be plenty of time to do a clean up once we are all a single country. Now it is time to get control. I can see it.' I couldn't believe he was saying that. Prussia is a great actor, I'm telling you, Phil. He gave me the chills, hearing him talk with such conviction.

» M was outraged. Coups d'etat mean disproportionate violence. The group had no army, only volunteers armed with whatever they could build themselves or buy against the law. It was crazy. She was not the only one who saw it that way. Kato also thought the first thing to do was to educate the youth in the values of the movement, so the population itself would overthrow kings and presidents. Slower but more effective. As for G (Paul Grech, Maltese), he said it had no sense to try to stop deaths for political reasons and doing an armed fight, but he debated himself and ended up joining Ughetti. 'If you want, M, we can vote, but let me tell you something' Greszczyszyn said to her, 'if you want a burger, you gotta kill the cow.'

» I tried to avoid making a decision as much as I could. We separated. Apparently, M wanted to see how the other two members were doing with Germany. That was how I found out they had him too. I had some time to talk to Prussia alone. I asked him what the heck he was doing there and he asked me the same question. I think it took him a while to remember who I was, he only knew I was a country. When I told him I was Canada, he shook his head. 'Great, America's well-behaved brother. If they find out who you are, they're going to tear you apart. What were you thinking about, getting into this mess?', he asked me. What about him? He allowed his younger brother to be captive, I replied. 'He can take care of himself. I'm on it, okay? Look, let's do this: since you have your government covering your back, I look for an excuse for you to have access to a phone and call them. I will take care of Liechtenstein and Germany. These guys trust me. I can approach them with any excuse. We will get them out of here together.'

"What happened next?"

"Greszczyszyn took me aside, to talk to me while we had something to eat before going to bed. 'First they want to ask Tero. She is small, but she should be able to decide'. I wanted to ask him who Tero was, but then he spoke to me in lower voice: 'Hey, W and I have been talking. About GB. Tomorrow morning try to have an intimate moment with him, will you?' I told him sure. That night we slept at the house and the next morning, right after getting up, I saw Prussia and Ogura were having breakfast together. 'Hey, GB, can you come here for a second? Something happened to the roof last night'. It was a very silly excuse, but it was enough to approach him. We put our coats on and got out. 'Is something happening?', Prussia asked me. I took him to the back of the house, a bit away from it. Wafula and Greszczyszyn were waiting in there. 'JC says there's a problem with the roof' he commented to them. Greszczyszyn spoke after a moment of silence. 'Did you know O worked for the press office of the Japanese nation? He told Wafula and showed him photos of his house'. 'Ah, so that's what Japan's house looks like form inside. That should be an advantage, heh? Somehow' Prussia said. There was something in Greszczyszyn's face I didn't like at all. He kept smoking calmly, as Wafula gazed at us. 'In one of those photos there was this'. Wafula approached and showed us a photo of a living room where Japan was using a laptop. His finger pointed at one of the paintings hanging from a wall. I felt my stomach touch my feet.

» 'The guy in that 19th century portrait looks just like you, don't you think?'. I looked at Prussia. His face didn't show any change, he even smirked. 'I'm much cuter', he giggled. Greszczyszyn smiled. And then Wafula and him grabbed him violently. They asked me to help them, to silence him. I had no choice but to do it...


	36. Ukraine

**_Pan's labyrinth lullaby _(Juan Navarrete, cover by A. Krishna)**

* * *

My bosses told me there was nothing to worry about, the protests would make some noise during some time and then they would disappear on their own. But I was hearing the rumors, saw the demonstrations, heard the insults, felt worse and worse. The backache intensified so much I couldn't move. I saw myself baggy-eyed in the mirror, gaunt.

Then fever came. And with the fever, the deliriums.

I said a lot of silly things while I was like that. I saw things which were not there. Peasants from distant times...

('the harvest will be good this year', 'those savages have come and destroyed everything, everything...', 'it should start raining soon')

...diplomats and heads of state...

('arrange marriage would surely save the situation, but my sister is too much of a woman', 'of course, coronel, this dance is for you')

...my own brother...

"_Sestra_..."

"My little boy...What happened? Did they hurt you again?"

"Yes...It hurts so much...But I won't let them know."

"You can tell me, you know it. You don't have to act strong all the time. It's not good for the soul."

"It is now when I have to be strong...And you...They hurt you too..."

"Anything for my little ones..."

"Why did nobody tell me? Did they think I don't care about you anymore, damn it?"

"Ssssh. Easy, my boy...It's okay..."

"You're very sick..."

"I only want you to be happy...Even if you don't love me anymore..."

"I do love you, _sestra_..."

"I should have been a better nation."

"You've been very good. It was the government the one who was wrong. But now I'm in charge. I will do what they didn't dare to do, I'm going to crush those who hurt you."

"I should have been a better sister."

"You couldn't have been better."

"I shouldn't have let America get involved in our fight..."

"Sleep, _sestra_...When you wake up, all of this will be over."

"In a world with a bright and warm sun, filled with sunflowers, like you always dreamed of..."

The hallucinations were so vivid I felt a cold hand touching mine and how some warm lips kissed my sweaty forehead.

Sleep embraced me and when I woke up I found myself alone in my room, of course.


	37. England IV

I had neglected my duties those days due to Sealand's death, but I felt well enough to get back. I made a call to summon the Parliament, so they informed me of what was going on and decide together what we were going to do. It was not the time to make decisions on my own, as others had done.

"I give you the day off, Lance, Malcom" I told my escort.

"Sir, it is dangerous out there to..." Malcom tried to warn me.

"I have lived almost a thousand years without someone who held my hand, I think I can get to Westminster" I replied.

It was only ten minutes by foot. Less, surely, since I have a fast pace. It was night and so I wouldn't be recognizable.

But I didn't know about the gravity of the situation, having been isolated.

When I saw them coming, I thought they were just hooligans who celebrated some sports victory or protested for a defeat. I must admit the flares they held in their hands, the shouts and the balaclavas they wore scared me, but humans today are very scary in several ways. It was then when I saw one of them was burning something. It was my flag. I stopped to listen what they were saying.

I still have that choir in my ears. 'God kill the Queen'.

Yes, running seemed like a good idea.

I could only advance a few meters when somebody grabbed me and dragged me into a narrow alley. I thought it was one of them and I was about to give them a taste of my fists.

"If you want me, you're going to get me!"

"What are you saying, dude? It's me!"

"Sarah! What are you doing here?"

It was her. The young lady who irrupted into my house. She still dressed like a beggar. She peeped at the street we had just left before answering.

"You shouldn't have come out alone. They're looking for you. If you had Facebook, you would have known they're looking for you to hang you upside down from the London Bridge."

"But you came into my house and threatened me with a gun."

Sarah looked away as she placed a lock of auburn hair behind her ear.

"...It's not what you did, that hand trick. I still don't like you. It's just...eh...well, it turns out you were righter than I thought...Those people are killing other people, and they're not even from the military or politicians...They're destroying century-old treasures...We were supposed to be better than all those brutes who..."

"I'm glad you changed your mind."

"Yeah, well...Listen, there's something you should know. Come. Let's go to my house. We shouldn't be here."

She removed her wool hat, put it on my head and after checking there was nobody outside, we walked out of the alley. She dragged me in the opposite direction I had in mind. We walked at fast pace during a long while. It may have been better to take the Tube, but she avoided crowded spaces. We moved in the dark, like shadows. Eventually, we arrived to the suburbs. She stopped in front of a brick row house. She took her keys from the back pocket of her trousers and opened the door. She came in first, then I did.

I found myself in a warm place, so warm the first thing I did was removing the hat, where a smell of something roasting filled the space. It was a small living-dining room, where a bit withered Christmas tree took over a lot of space. A man watched television sat in a sofa; in the background I could see a kitchen were a woman with an apron on moved back and forth.

"Sarah?"

The woman walked out cleaning her hands and stopped when she saw me. The man turned his head and when he saw me his body suffered an spasm. Both of them recognized me immediately. She snapped out of her astonishment to groom her mane shyly. He tried to get up from the sofa; I noticed instantly he couldn't or it was too hard for him.

"No, no. Please. There is no need" I stopped him.

"Mum! Did you see where's the...?" a seventeen or eighteen year-old boy, very tall and slender, trotted down the stairs and stopped when he saw us. He moved back like he had just seen the Devil, and soon another boy no older than thirteen, with spiky hair peeked out without daring to come down.

"W-Welcome to our house, Mr. England. It's...an honor for us to have you here" the man stammered.

"Pleasure is mine, mister..."

"John Vaughan, sir."

"Mr. Vaughan."

"Sarah, what...?" I heard the woman ask Sarah in low voice, not taking her eyes off me.

"They were following him, mum, they wanted to hurt him" she replied.

Very opportunely, they rang at the door. There was a tense silence, in which only the voice of the conductor of a talent show on the television could be heard. Mrs. Vaughan muttered something and encouraged me to run upstairs (not daring to touch me, I noticed). I did so, I hid behind the two boys, who looked at each other as if they couldn't believe what was happening. Sarah's mother breathed deeply and opened the door.

"Yes?" she asked with deflated voice.

"Good night, madame. Anglaterre, come out, I saw you coming in!"

I couldn't believe it. I made my away between the two boys and descended.

"France!"

Yes! It was him! With his clown face!"

"What the heck are you doing here?"

"I almost caught up with you in your way to the Parliament, I've been following you for a good while from the car, and you didn't pay attention to me, you were running."

'France?'. The apparition of another nation caused even more sensation in the family. Shyly, Mrs. Vaughan let him in, looking like she couldn't believe we were there.

"Thank you so much, madame. Good night to all of you" France turned again towards me. "I was starting to feel worried about you. After what happened to Sealand...I understand you haven't felt well, but..."

"Thanks for your concern, but there was no need for you to follow me."

"Didn't you see what is going on in the streets? They are looking for you! They want to hang you or something like that! They go around with flares and burning things, like a mob!"

"I know, miss Vaughan here just told me."

Sarah raised a hand like a greeting.

"Ah, well done, mademoiselle. You are very brave" France said to her, smiling at her, and it was funny to me to see her turning red.

"Well...That...was the right thing to do, wasn't it?" she then glanced at her mother, who looked at her so proud.

"I have been through some terrible weeks too. The movement had a lot of repercussion at my place. I thought I would croak. But the die is not cast yet. I want to fight and I came to offer you cooperation."

"America, Russia and China have already allied for it."

"But we both know their methods are not ours."

"Mph...You're right about that. We could use some common sense."

"Come. I think I could help you" Sarah took us upstairs.

"Mr. England..."

I stopped to look at her father.

"Listen, Mr. England...I know they have been saying horrible things about you, but...But I am very proud of you. I know all of that are lies...That goes for you too, Mr. France..."

I smiled.

"Thank you so much, sir."

"Come on" Sarah hurried us. She made us come into a bedroom and closed the door.

So much furniture and she had everything on the bed and on the floor, I thought when I came in, smiling inside. Sarah touched her hair again with embarrassment as she closed the door to protect us from the curious eyes and ears of her brothers and tossed the clothes on the bed to the floor.

"I found the movement in Internet. In social media. Uhm, do you know what social media...?"

"Yes."

"Ah, okay. Well, I attended one of the meetings they did, in Portobello. They used newbies like us to make the messages on the Internet viral, hand pamphlets in the streets. There were lectures. From time to time a German albino came. His name was Gilbert. He was really passionate. I wrote down the location."

"Thank you, Sarah. We will send people there to clean it up."

"Another thing. I was talking to Gilbert. Since they didn't give us newbies much info and I wanted to do something more than yelling in front of the Prime Minister's house, I sucked up for him, I pretended I was madly in love with him and he was like my leader. He didn't trust me much, but, talking, I got to make him tell me he wouldn't stay in London for long, because he had to get ready for a trip. He mentioned they had made a new vaccine against meningitis and he hated that shit. I don't know it can be useful to you, but..."

"Countries who have introduced that vaccine recently..." I muttered.

"Sub-Saharan Africa" France immediately replied. "And I think I've heard it just became mandatory in Congo. I am not entirely sure, though..."

"At least we can start discarding with that..."

"What will you do to them when you find them? Will you shoot at them, like your friends are doing?" Sarah frowned at us.

"No" I replied. "We will send them to trial. We will do things right, following the rules."

"Alright. Because everybody seems to be playing dirty lately...At least you try to do the right thing."

"...Thanks for everything, Sarah."

"Okay, but don't you think I'm doing this for you, eh? Don't let it go to your head. You're not that important."

"I've been telling him for a long time" France nodded.

We walked out of the room. We noticed the whole family was there, listening, and dissimulated pretty badly when we came out.

"I am so thankful you took us in. We won't bother you any longer" I told them.

"Oh, no, you didn't bother us at all. Our door will always be open for you, both of you" Mrs. Vaughan replied.

"Greg, drive these gentlemen wherever they want" the father told his oldest son.

"Me?"

"Yes. You have the driving license."

The boy didn't seem very sure about that, but obeyed. France, him and me left the house, leaving Sarah with a lot of explaining to do to her family. I wonder what lies she said to them...or if she was brave and told them the truth.

The Vaughan's car looked nothing like the ones I usually take. Old, worn-out, with one foot in the scrapyard. But that was it's biggest virtue. It didn't draw any attention. Nobody would have ever thought European powers would travel inside of it.

"Let's go to the Parliament. We will tell them what we know and elaborate an strategy."

"Ah, like in the old times, eh, Anglaterre?"

"Yeah, whoopie."

"After this Brexit issue I thought you'd build a wall around your isle, but I am glad you are open to collaboration."

"I would have rather had Germany's visit, but what can we do about it."

"Oh, come on, you love to fight by my side."

"It is better when it is against you. Breaking that idiot face you have."

"Hey, question. You two are gay, right?"

France and I went quiet and looked at young Vaughan. He glanced at us through the rear-view mirror.

"It's okay if you are" he added, shrugging.


	38. Turkey

"I thought you wanted to join the European Union, how come you didn't ask for their help?"

Even though China preferred to stay away from those substances after the opium crisis at his house in the 19th century, I supposed he took a drag from my hookah to plase me or something like that. It would do him good, I thought. Always so stressed out. Always so efficient. It had to be exhausting.

"You know what they say. You have to bet on the sure winner. And...more than asking for help, I am offering you my collaboration. Tit for tat. You cast a long shadow, have lots of toys. But you have no strong links in the Near East. I've known you for many, many, many years. I can move the strings in your favor.

China laid down a bit.

"That is true. I'm going to tell you a little secret, Turkey: we caught three members of the movement while they tried to leave my country. But they acted as bait to allow the others to escape. The real big shots. They have to be here, somewhere. I heard about the attacks."

"Egypt got a good beating and they almost burnt Morocco's house while she slept. But it's all under control" I took a drag myself as well and expelled the vapor, making a circle with my lips. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring war back to Europe. I mean, if I was one of those sons of bitches. A juicy treat, really. A good start for an empire..."

I stared at him with great interest.

"Your fellow Russia won't be very happy you're stealing his job."

China didn't reply to me. He seemed drowsy, but what the hookah contained wasn't that strong.

"What about the Yankee? He finished off the movement in America. Off to Guantanamo to be interrogated and that's the end. Now what? I don't think he'd miss the chance to intervene where there is trouble."

He simply was pensive. Or maybe he didn't want to answer.

"Two days ago a lot of diplomacy was needed so you didn't kill pull each other's hair out. Now, suddenly, are the best friends. Tough times really makes people forget personal quarrels...Or..."

"I don't know what you're thinking, Turkey, but..."

"I have been following your progress these last years, my friend. What a boom! You're everywhere. Everyone wants to do business with you. Hell, there are CEOs who would pull down their pants and let you sodomize them if that would get them a contract with your people. That scares a lot of people. Including those you fight the movement with. That makes me ask myself...If they are right when they say..."

"What do they say?" China stared at me.

"You know. When this is over, your power won't limit itself to the markets."

China smiled.

"It is not the first time they fear me because I am strong. I can live with it."

"I'm just saying each of you have your own motivations. America loves that saving the world thing and his continent is too small for him. Russia has always wanted to rule Europe and he's not letting it go, nor Africa. And you...You want to find those revolutionaries whatever it takes. I don't know how you're going to manage."

"Thanks for your concern, Turkey, but it's all well thought. You and I will limit ourselves to the East, as we agreed, and Europe..."

"Will you really let them escape to Europe or Africa?"

China tilted his head and moved his hair aside.

"That's why I trust you. You're the bridge between two worlds."

"Alright, but before everything tell me...Do you still make that fabulous silk?"

China laughed again.

"So do we have a deal?"

"Hell, we do. I'll go get raki. This deserves a drink."

"I'd prefer to go back home on my own."

"Once in a while can't hurt you, man!"

The tip of my fingers was caressing the doorknob when I heard a shot. Two. China got up almost with a jump.

Someone opened the door, almost knocking me over.

It was a group formed by three men, armed with rifles, their faces hidden with masks. They pointed at us with their guns.

"Down!" they welled in an imperfect English.

I doubted, glanced at China. I saw him swinging to see over them, what was in the corridor. I looked too and I saw there was someone on the floor. I saw red staining the walls.

The assaulter repeated his demand in Chinese. As I suspected. Even though they were masked, it could be seen that their eyes were almond-shaped. Chinese. Once again, China faced one of his children.

And that made him mad.

Before I could process what he was doing and ask him to stop, China, with a very quick movement, grabbed the hookah and hit the one who talked with it in the stomach, then the crown. The other two fired. They got him, of course they did. Some bullets went through China's body and ruined my sofa and the table. But he didn't stop. Of course he didn't. His brother Japan wounded him severely during the war. In fact, he fought against his brothers and sisters. His own rulers tried to kill him. He went through civil wars. Weapons couldn't hurt him. Using my precious hookah as a weapon, he burst the face of one of them and broke the jaw of the other one.

He dropped it on the floor and grabbed one of them, wrapping his arms around his neck. He peeked out, dragging him to the corridor. I also looked outside to see what happened. The staff of the palace yelled something at us. Our ambassadors were on the floor. Mine, El Mahmood, panted, with a very ugly wound in the stomach. China's, general I don't know, didn't move. Neither did the Chinese interpreter who was with them, comprehensively, because her brains splattered the wall. I ran to mine, the only one who could be saved. I could see from there how China's face shifted from tense to the most absolute wrath.

"Do you see, Turkey? Do you see?! They say I am a monster! If it wasn't for scum like this, we would all live in peace! When you find a rabid dog, you kill it!"

Before our security staff could even approach, China had already dealt with the problem. The man he was holding...He finished him off with his own hands.

At that moment I started thinking. I don't believe the change of regime he went through had much to do with his aggressiveness. I think it was tiredness. The feeling of threat. The tension. Being betrayed by those one loves the most. You can't understand because you are not a nation, but those things affect the head. China's not like that. He has never been. What I had in front of me was a dragon determined to eliminate that threat. Because it was the only way he could rest.

How could I not join him? The contrary would have been suicidal. Like what those Scandinavians tried to do. And see how good it was for them to go against them!


	39. Liechtenstein IV

**Spawn (Brand X Music)**

* * *

**Sunday, March 9th**

Tero didn't let the Doctor nor the Nurse to lay their hands on me again. She ordered to feed me for the first time in weeks, groom me, give me something to wear (a pale blue dress with a lot of fullness which made me look like a doll), and took me where they had her. It seemed like she had a whole house for herself. Everything in there was for her. A princess bedroom, with an enormous bed with a canopy for her alone, a dressing table with make up, in case she wanted to put it on, more toys than a child could dream of, a little table to drink imaginary tea. In the living room there was a box full of dolls and near the television there were DVDs of cartoons and her favorite movies. They only cooked what she wanted. There, she was the queen.

And I had to act like her big-sized doll.

"Do you want more cake?"

I nodded. She loved playing princesses and princesses drank tea. She put a crown on and pretended she served me a cup of delicious tea. I had to drink the air and pretend it was very good.

She took my hand and looked and felt it consciously.

"You've healed already. It looks like nothing has happened to you."

"It something...that happens to us all the time. You will see...I mean..."

No. The movement wouldn't allow anything bad happen to her. There was always someone at the house looking after us. In that occasion it was the Nurse, who stared at us from the door of the bedroom with her arms crossed.

"That's fine. That way you won't have scabs or lumps. You'll be pretty forever."

She sipped her plastic cup and cleaned the imaginary liquid from her mouth with her sleeve.

"I'm glad I found you. I wanted a friend. Playing alone is no fun, and they are not funny."

"Of course, I'll be your friend."

"Forever?"

I couldn't help pausing.

"Forever."

Luckily, she didn't notice it, or give it importance. She extended her little finger and I hooked mine with it. Tero smiled satisfied.

"Do you know any child?" she asked me.

"Any child?"

"Any child who never grows old and never dies."

"I know...well...I used to know one, but...I mean, yes, I know some."

"You could bring them in, so I can see them. And decide who stays with me. I don't want to be alone when my people ends with nations. It would be very boring!"

She cut a plastic tart with plastic knives and pretended she swallowed it. I didn't even move. I breathed deeply and dared to speak, even with Nurse present.

"Tero...You know, what you are saying...that thing your people wants...it is wrong, you know? If you knew the nations you would see they are not evil. They are all very nice. I am sure you would love them if I introduced them to you...They are hurting a lot of innocent people. They have killed my brother, who was very good to me. Listen, you can decide...You can ask them to stop..."

Tero gazed at me and smiled.

"Mimi."

Nurse stood up.

"I want a chocolate milkshake" Tero commanded.

"Right away, sweetie" she said, and left the room quickly.

Tero saw her leave and when she closed the door she looked at me, still with that placid smile.

And yellow eyes like a tigress.

"My favorite animal is the bee" she said then.

She paused and acted as if she was eating again and cleaned her mouth with a handkerchief.

"I have lots of books about bees. I like the queen, mostly. She's the biggest. And do you know why I like her? Because she is the queen. Everyone does what she says. She's the mommy of all the bees and that's why all of them take care of her."

'Bzz, bzzzzz', she playfully buzzed as she served herself more make-believe tea.

"The queen produces a perfume which makes all of them obey, do what she wants. If she says they have to go into another beehive, which is the house of the bees, they will do it. The worker bees will die for their queen if she asked them to."

She served me a bit more of tea.

"I don't like being here. The cold isn't always fun. I want to go to all places, being in summer one day and playing with the snow the next day. If the world was mine, I could simply switch places whenever I wanted."

"But you can do it, nobody will stop you...You don't have to hurt anybody..."

"I want to be the queen. The world is full of big and strong people and I want to be stronger than them."

"But Tero..."

"The bee queen loves to fly."

"Tero, listen to me. It doesn't have to be this way."

"Your friends, the people you talk about, are being very bad to me. They won't let me do what I want. Martina and Igor already told me, and I gave them orders. I'm going to send my little bees to prick them and kill all of them, and I will go live in their houses."

"You can't be serious..."

"I will leave you because you are pretty and play with me."

Until she gets tired, I thought. Until she gets tired of me and sends me back to the operating table or something worse.

"Tero...Think of what you're saying."

"There are so many languages it's going to be a mess. When I become the queen of the world, everybody will speak mine. Esperanto. Ĉu vi scias esperanto? I will teach you. It's prettier than German."

"Tero, you will cause a war! Innocent people will die! Your friends! You're going to get them killed! Didn't you think of them?"

Tero laughed as if I had said something funny.

"So what? The queen does not care about the workers. She can make a lot more eggs. They are here to do as I tell them. If I tell them to fight, they will fight. If I tell them to bring me friends, they will bring them to me. If I tell them to jump off the window, they will jump. Martina explained it all fine to me. There are people who don't want me to be the queen of the world. They want me to be locked up where it's cold and there is no one around. But I am the boss and I've told them we are going to rule the world."

"Oh, my God..." I whispered.

"I don't know what God is, but I don't like it, so don't speak about it anymore" Tero frowned.

"They didn't want a war, Tero..."

"Only the bad guys. Those who don't really love me. The cowards."

Nurse came in with a chocolate cup she gave Tero immediately.

"Mimi. I want to show Liechtenstein the coward."

The woman shivered, I noticed, but nodded and left the room again.

When Spain found the New World and told everyone what he had seen, he told them about a terrible nation. So terrible he justified its destruction and embraced the natives to convert them to Catholicism, in an attempt to save their souls. He said the savages believed it sustained itself thanks to the blood of its own children, of its enemies, whose hearts they ripped out, dismembered and devoured in rituals under the sun. He said other tribes from South America helped him stop its advance, fearful of its power. For a long time he was considered a liar and a ruthless murderer.

To this day, I still don't know if the legend of that bloody nation is true. But Tero...Tero was real like life itself.

The Nurse came back with a grocery bag. She took something out of it and put it on the table without looking at it.

I stood up with a jump and drew back screaming until my back hit the wall.

It was the head of the black woman I had seen by Tero's side the day I tried to escape.

She touched the curly hairs of the head then raised her plastic teapot to me.

"More tea?"


	40. Hungary

"Even though she was the daughter of a poor baker, the girl dreamed of being a princess."

The Dutch royal family, along with their nation, went by car to a Christmas concert. A man in a van swept along the crowd who greeted them at the Opera House and tried to do the same to their representatives. The police got to stop him before he did, but they couldn't prevent the death of four people and seventeen injured.

"How beautiful would it be to wear a dress for the first time and dance all night long!, she said. Every night before going to bed she looked at the start through her window and made her wish."

The Christmas market of Riga went by with no problems until a man took a gun out of his coat and started shooting. He entrenched himself inside of a nearby cafe, taking thirty hostages. He killed one of them before the security forces got to subdue him. Two tourists died at the market. Seven injured by firearm.

"One day, the girl went out for a walk at the forest, when she found a handsome prince who hunted around."

In Vietnam, a group stopped a bus full of tourists from different countries, although most of them were Korean. They sprayed the vehicle with gas, set it on fire and stayed to watch as the people inside burned. Only three survivors.

"Good morning..."

I stared at the illustration for too long.

It was a boy with brown, short mane and glasses.

Shit...

Too late. The kids were watching me. The nurses were watching me. The photographers and journalists were recording and taking pictures.

"Sorry..." I whispered, wiping the tears and breathing deep to push them down, where they couldn't bother me. "G-Good morning, fair maiden, he said to her..."

"What's the matter?" a girl with two cute pigtails asked me.

I could have said nothing, but not even the children would have believed it.

"...It reminded me of someone I once loved..." I was forced to admit.

I gave those damned journalists sensational material, I know. I was seeing the headlines: 'The tears of the nation' or something like that...and yeah, I found an article called precisely like that. As for the children, they were too surprised by my reaction to be interested in the story. There was no way I could bring them back.

A chubby boy jumped out of his bed and hugged me. Sighing, I hugged him back. Children are the purest things ever. Many times I wish I had been able to have my own. Nations are not completely sterile, there are cases in which they can procreate; at least that's what they say. If Austria and I had tried, maybe...

Austria...

I did nothing but think about Austria. Austria. Austria. Austria. I couldn't get in my head that he was gone and would never return.

I wasn't the only one, actually. His own people were perplexed. Weeks had passed and they were still in shock. I saw people in the news doing vigils at night, playing instruments in front of his house, flags hanging from every balcony, tears. Whoever they asked, the response was the same: they loved their nation, they thought most people still supported him in spite of the expansion of the movement, he would stay alive as long as just one person believed in him, why did that happen, then? Now they showed him all their love, a hundred times more the one they showed him when he was alive, with the bitter hope that this way he might go back to life. But nobody saw him anywhere, nor a newborn with a divine air come from nowhere, who looked like him was spotted.

Having wanted Noémi's advice back when I met her, over thirty years ago, she would have taken me to the bar to drown my pain in alcohol and would have looked for a hunk for me. Being with the same man for fifty two years, she would have said to me, was torture, and more when that man was an inmortal Beethoven wannabee who 'walked around with a pole up his ass'. But she calmed down with the years, she got married herself against the principles of her youth and now, a lady close to retirement with three children and two grandchildren, preferred to be my shoulder to cry on. We met as always, at her house, after work, with some coffee cups.

"I can't believe he has fallen...I just can't believe it...I mean, there are nations who have a worst relationship with their people and they're still alive and he..."

Noémi's arms were my refuge that day. She saw my scene at the children's hospital but didn't judge me. She didn't tell me I was dumb for crying like that in front of the children for something so silly.

"Death is that whimsical, you know it..."

"Last time I talked to him was in a chat. I didn't approach him last summit...Look, it's right here. 'Be careful'. That's the last thing he wrote to me. He was the one who should have been careful..."

"Come on, let it all out, dear. That's it."

I didn't want to cry anymore. I wanted to hit the walls, find those who started the movement and break their heads. They didn't know Austria. They thought they knew about us and they had no idea, what we were like, what we felt. Austria had his issues, but was a good man. Gosh, I was so angry...

Death is that whimsical...

I have seen many people die. My bosses. In the battlefield. My friends. I have seen many types of death: too soon, too late, at the precise moment. It seemed it was my turn. It is one of these things you never think will happen to you until it happens. First was Sealand, who I just knew of sight. Then Austria, who I once called husband. The next had to be me.

I took the same determination as Poland and got rid of my bodyguards. I started to go out, to let myself be seen. I only asked for a gun. 21st century's are great, they have a scope I could only dream about centuries ago. I carried it with me all the time. In case someone wanted to hurt people around me. Noémi. Those I visited. People who just walked in the street. If they wanted to get me, I would be waiting for me.

Lord, I thought, have mercy on me.


	41. Israel

Too quiet, I thought.

Palestine used to throw something at me, and wouldn't miss the chance Christmas time implied, when everybody let down their guard. I waited for a missile, or something smaller, like a series of stabbings in the streets or rock throwing at the heads of my soldiers.

But I didn't hear from her in weeks.

That was starting to worry me. Something had to be keeping her busy and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what it was. My bosses also considered it could be the prelude to a bigger attack and put our troops on guard. What are you plotting, I asked myself. Only the One World Nation Movement matter, which America told me about, distracted me from it. What are you plotting.

It was then, in New Year's Eve, when I found the note inside of my mailbox, written in Arab. A whole sheet of paper for just one word.

'Run'.

How could I obey such a vague warning? I kept the paper because I could use it to write on it, but I didn't give it much importance.

Not until they called me to tell me I had to leave whatever I was doing and follow the generals who would take me to an helicopter that would take me to a safe place, because the wall had fallen. Not the Palestine side, as I believed. In our side, they had used everything they had to open a gap. And when people from both sides met, they fused in one.

And attacked both of us.


	42. Austria V

I regret to say since planes were invented I have lost the habit of making long journeys over land, even by car. In order to avoid being identified as much as we could, Switzerland and I moved by foot or hitchhiking around Denmark. It was a bit like going back to the old times, when the world seemed much bigger. We had the chance to talk to each other, of meeting people. We found very amicable people who helped us, although, of course, there were also moments when I was thankful Switzerland didn't leave his gun behind along with the rest of his belongings. The story of the travel itself is not relevant to the case we are talking about, so I will simply say after a trip which took us days we got to Malmö, hours before the new year began.

If Liechtenstein was held captive in a Nordic country we needed the collaboration of said countries, and Sweden was our man. Sensible and quiet. He would understand our trick and help us make the inquiries needed in his house. He would also be our intermediary to get the collaboration of his neighbors.

We walked to his residence in Malmö, expecting to find him there. We had a plan in case he had gone somewhere else. But we noticed soon the atmosphere in the streets wasn't festive.

In our way to Sweden's house we came across a personnel carrier vehicle. Switzerland gestured me to pay attention to the uniform of the soldiers who, armed with assault rifles, were inside of it. "Russians", he muttered in my ear.

It seemed something happened in the street where the apartment was. A group of soldiers kept us out. When Switzerland demanded to know why they kicked us out rudely, stating it was not our business and we just had to obey.

"Of course it is our business" Switzerland said, and grabbed my hand and we dusted off the old art of flight in combat to slip past the soldiers and approach the building taking alternative routes.

We hid behind some trash containers. From there we could perfectly see Russia and Sweden arguing at the doors of the building. Next to Sweden were his Northern neighbors, plus Estonia and Latvia. It seemed Russia had interrupted the celebration of the New Year with his friends.

"You have no right to be here, Russia" Sweden calmly said, but with the stare of a tiger. "Go away."

"China has told me Kazuki Ogura, an ex-collaborator of Japan who joined the One World Nation Movement, has been seen at the BMA" Russia explained with his hands inside of the pockets of his coat. "If he is here..."

"If he is here, we will look for him. But your ministers should have called mine and talked about this among themselves."

"I like to do things myself. And since my friends went to the trouble of coming..."

"You've already come into my house without permission, Russia, we're not letting you do whatever you want!" Denmark exclaimed, pointing at him with an accusing finger.

"You're all very angry. You should be having fun, it's New Year's Eve!"

Paradoxically, Latvia, who has always been a bundle of nerves, mostly when Russia was around, was the calmest.

"Let him do what he wants..."

"No way" Norway intervened. "What did you think? Because you have the biggest army you can do whatever you want with the rest of us?"

"You don't care about our security. This is all an excuse to go back to that 'one with Russia' thing" Iceland looked at him with an expression of deep disgust. "You're despicable. You didn't even respect your own dying sister."

Iceland knew perfectly that his sister was a very sensitive topic. I suppose at that moment he was so irritated he forgot about it or did not bother to measure his words...he was already cornered. It seemed he was going to regret it. Russia's placid expression twisted and he took his hands out of his pockets. Estonia took a step back and Norway grabbed his younger brother's arm to protect him. I felt a shiver myself. I was sure he was going to kill him right there.

In the end, the only thing Russia did, luckily, was to smile wider. That seemed to frighten Estonia even more than if he had started beating Iceland to a pulp with his fists.

"We can talk about this..." he begged.

"There is nothing to talk about" Russia replied. "You're all very smug. And this is the moment to work all together. If you don't want to collaborate, that's because you're hiding something."

"Do you really think we'd be on that scum's side? After what they did to Sealand?" Finland walked to him with no fear and stopped just a palm away from him. "Do you think we are that stupid?"

"No, but I know you are all very smart. You could have thought...I don't know...if you helped the movement get what they wanted you'd get rid of competitors and you'd have a lot to share out."

"Your time in the Soviet Union made you lose your mind."

"It gave me clarity. If you had listened to me and come with me, you'd know what I am talking about" Russia placed his hand on Finland's chin with the gallantry one would use to caress a maiden.

He slapped it away from him. Sweden took a step forward and glared at him.

"Don't you lay a hand on him again."

"Russia, really, none of this is necessary" Estonia insisted. "We well talk to our bosses and..."

"But there is one problem, Estonia: I am fed up of having to deal with puny bosses. Of doing what they want when they don't have a clue of what is going on. I won't leave the survival of nations to a simple human who brags about their medals. If we have to do this by foul...Very well. You asked for it."

He must have done some imperceptible gesture. Or maybe it was true that he was more blended with his army than words could express. But instantly twenty of his men approached the Scandinavians threatening them with their guns.

"Hands behind your head" one of them said.

"How dare you?!" Norway roared.

Only Latvia and Estonia obeyed instantly. They had been under Russia's control once and they knew better than to resist. The others still wanted to fight.

"You're gonna regret this, you son of a bitch!" Denmark insulted Russia.

"I think he told you to put your hands behind your head" he smiled in return.

The tip of the rifle hit Finland's stomach and he, showing his teeth, was forced to obey. One by one, the Nordics surrendered and obeyed. Sweden was the last to do it, and his stare seemed to announce a war declaration which Russia ignored, still smiling.

"Let's go" I grabbed Switzerland by the arm.

"This is unbelievable" I heard him complain.

"I know. That's why we have to leave before they find us. We can do nothing here."

"There will be shots in the next gathering..."

"You'll have time to think about next gathering. Let's go now."

We left the Northern nations in big trouble much to our regret and left the place hurrily. Some explosions alerted us, but it turned out those were only fireworks. 'Happy New Year!', I heard Russia exclaim.

The only thing we could do was wander the streets of Malmö, where the foreign military presence had ruined the fun of many. We ended up sitting on a cold bench in a children's playground.

"Without their collaboration this will be like looking for a needle in a haystack..."

I knew I was saying an obviousness and it wouldn't help, but it was what I had in mind.

"Even if I have to tramp all countries in this filthy world" Switzerland said, "I'm going to find Liechtenstein. I'm taking her home. Whatever it takes."

Someone with much less tact would have told him he was asking for something impossible. There was a high chance that Liechtenstein was dead. Maybe he wouldn't find the movement before they found a way to kill him. But I didn't. For the friendship we once had. Because...well, at those dark moments one had to have hope if they didn't want to go mad. And I really believed there was a chance, even tiny, that the girl was still alive and it was worth it to risk everything for it.

It was then when God Almighty sent us a sign which gave us hope and told us we were in the right path.

Or, more accurately, He sent it to Switzerland. I saw him stand up all of a sudden, as if he had just been possessed.

"What's the matter?"

He didn't say anything, he stared at a man who passed by, a shadow to me I paid no attention to.

"Switzerland?"

But Switzerland had started walking. He asked me to stay quiet and look. I didn't know what he wanted me to look. He grabbed my head and pointed at the pocket of his coat. A purple ribbon pocked out from it.

I wanted to tell him that proved nothing, but he didn't listen. I guess his guts were telling him something, so I let his instincts take charge. What did it matter? We had nothing better to do.


	43. Lithuania

**I could have done so much more (John Williams)**

* * *

I knew something was wrong when I was shaving and then suddenly found myself, I don't know how, on the floor and I saw my bodyguard was shaking me and shouting my name. I cut my forehead when I fell and hit the sink, but I had a terrible feeling that had nothing to do with me. Something had happened, I was sure about it. Unfortunately, I wasn't wrong.

It was a mall. Not an Embassy, nor the Parliament. A simple mall. Full of Young people who go there to have fun, families who take their children to the cinema or shopping. Using simple pool disinfectant, somebody created a bomb which they placed inside of a trash can near the elevators.

Seven people were killed. Three woman, two men and two children aged three and seven. Thirty wounded of different gravity. A twenty year-old girl lost a leg.

The One World Nation Movement attributed the attack. It was a way to put pressure on my government to cause their resignation. My president called me to tell me I could be calm, none of them thought of doing so. They were not going to give in to that bunch of terrorists.

I visited the wounded at the hospital, I also assisted the collective funeral. It was there when I met her.

It was a let's say chubby woman, who wore sunglasses and a grey coat. By her side was an older woman who didn't move away from her, I think she was her mother.

The protocol was simple. My boss explained it to me, he used it all the time: you approach, say you are sorry about their loss, say you are there for everything they might need. Then you go back home and try to have a peaceful time. Some of them are so disorientated, so hurt they don't understand a thing, or don't seem to understand. I felt like a real jerk saying those things.

That lady didn't listen to what I had to say to her. The woman by her side nodded with grief, but she...I could see a frown and her eyes judging me behind those sunglasses. A throat which went up and down, with so many things to say clogged inside. She had lost her husband and her child in the attack. They were heading to a candy shop when the bomb exploded, while she was looking at clothes in a fashion shop. She couldn't even suspect the next time she would see them would be in a room where they had joined the pieces together.

What could I say to her? Why did they have to die? For me?

At first I only felt a lump in my throat which prevented me from continuing with the formal condolences. Then I couldn't help some tears from start showing.

Eventually, I placed my hands on the shoulders of that woman.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...They didn't have to die...Nobody should have had to die for me...If I had done something worth it...If...I had been a role model...N-None of this would have happened...You wouldn't have had to pay the consequences...Ev-Everytime I make a mistake it is you who have to...to...I'm sorry...You should eliminate me...You should all let me die...That way...That way you'd live in peace…"

The widow in front of me had all right to slap me, shout at me. Instead of that, she placed her hands on my cheeks. Tears filtered through the gaps in her sunglasses. And finally letting the tears come out, she hugged me. I held her tight and cried. I cried as if she was my mother and those she had buried were my father and my little brother. I cried hoarsely because the people who had died were my own children.

I felt lots of hands touching me. Caressing my hair, placed on my shoulders, rubbing my back. The woman who accompanied the lady, whimpering, hugged us both. Somebody wrapped their arms around me and placed their head on my shoulder. I didn't hear a single voice. Just felt the warmth of the people present.

I hope they felt mine.


	44. Portugal

It was my duty to stay with Spain. I had known him all of my life. We lived together for a long time. In our best times we divided out the world. We were like brothers...he called me that way often: brother. We had our quarrells, but like all Friends.

I didn't move away from his bed in those weeks. In the absence of the doctors I checked his temperatura, gave him water if he asked for it, help him relief himself, opened the windows so he could feel some fresh air. I believed he had better residences, but if his wish was to rest in that place, in that monastery in which he once lived with his lord...I couldn't do anything but respect his wishes. And wait.

To help it feel not so tense and long, they brought me a small portable televisión. The channels were all in Spanish, but it was Good for me to practice the language. Spain was in no disposition to talk.

«Last night we found out a group of supporters of the One World Nation Movement sexually assaulted the wife of a minister of Colombia. A wave of crimes is shaking the whole world, one grimmer than the other. What started as a pacific ideology has degenerated into an organization which has already been labeled by international institutions as terrorist.»

«We are seeing it, they presented themselves as the solution to the problems of the world and ended up becoming one. They have seen the citizens don't really want to give up on their nations and took the violent route.»

_«They even have the courage to alledge they were left no choice, when they were offered all possible ways to express themselves. But it is a very complex issue. Nations don't really have much to say in Politics. Let us talk, for instance, about Germany's case. During the Nuremberg trials we could hear testimonies of high offices who said he had expressed his displeasure from certain policies carried out by Hitler and his generals, but considered the German people had chosen him and he could only follow their wishes. Also, he was hidden information, mostly everything about the extermination. And a closer case we will all remember: Spain's position during the Civil War. Nations don't vote simply because they cannot choose a side. They are the people. It is the people who must decide and they just comply with it. Everything they are accused of is mostly responsibility of the politicians and the citizens who allow them to reach power.»_

_«Well, it is also understandable their way of like, sometimes luxurious, has caused a stink.»_

_«You have to take into account, Alberto, that most of them are over a thousand years old. Almost all of them have joined wars like any other soldier and therefore taken some part of the loot. Now they are diplomats. I would even say the bank interests are in their favor. Not that they haven't earned all of it either. It is true they have an unorthodox lifestyle taking into account what they are, but, well, after spending all of their life fighting, I guess this century is so peaceful for them they finally have the chance to enjoy.»_

_«Outside of what nations have done, it is clear what the movement has been doing is completely disgusting. We are going back to terrorism as a way to preassure to achieve political objetives. In Burkina Faso they have suffered their own Miguel Ángel Blanco: the movement kidnapped a member of their government and demanded them to resign. Since they refused to do so, his beheaded corpse has been found. It seems they have noticed that the feeling of belonging to a certain land, certain customs, religión and language, all of that is very rooted in people's minds and won't change as many good arguments they use. Many thinkers and politicians have tried to envision a world without divisions and all of those attempts have ended up in absolute failure. People like difference. They have been raised in an environment and they don't want to lose it. Look, I, for instance, love France, okay? I lived some years in Paris. But Spain is my home and here is where I want to die. I feel the...the...sun, how nonchalant people are, our jamboree, the taste of our gastronomy, our will to enjoy life. As much as I love France, it has no comparison. That's the thing. It is completely irrational. And you can't fight against that.»_

_«I find it curious that you mention Miguel Ángel Blanco, Teresa, because certainly what we are seeing is like being back to the ETA times, and that has made people go out to the streets to support Spain. Surely the Spanish people don't want to go back to those times.»_

_«Of course not. We have to admit it was nice seeing him in the street, saying hello to everybody, always smiling. He gave us comfort the night of the 23-F, the days after the 11th of March and 23rd of October, even if he was wounded...He is not perfect, of course he isn't, but there is no doubt this country would be much sadder and somber if we didn't have him.»_

_«These days were are seeing people filling his statues and monuments with flowers and massages of support. Here we are seeing the seventy-two year-old retiree who camped in front of the Congress wrapped up in the Spanish flag to demand the government not to let him die. At first he was alone and today it has become a camping as big as 15-M's. The message is clear: we can criticize Spain, but we don't like foreigners taking our customs away.»_

"Portu?"

I turned my head to the bed. I stood up immediately and walked to Spain.

"What?"

"No, just...Tell me when El Hormiguero starts..."

He smiled and, even if he was still dead pale, he looked again like the Spain I knew.


	45. Germany III

Some time passed until I finally got to meet Mr. V, which I knew later it was the nickname of doctor Damir Vetrov. Apparently, he had travelled to Malmö, city in which he had lived before joining the movement, to look for a treat for his "pride and joy", a precious felt flower crown...and to check if, as he thought, a traitor to the movement was hidden in there.

I know because that man was really talkative. It was evident he was the kind of doctor who likes to talk to his patients. While he explores a naked body, tied up to a gurney, while he saws limbs just to see how the cut tendons reconnect, while he injects all kinds of toxicals and then compares blood samples...

Mutilation is not strange to me. In 1871, fighting against France, a cannonball hit me. It is really undescriptible, what you feel when you are blown apart. Humans have the grace of dying instantly. I...had to live to see how they gathered the pieces, joined them together and sent me back to the front. Actually, war is part of a nation's life. Only a few lucky ones do not know what that is. It is not that terrible to me. But the chatter of that man...That did disturb me.

"Look at this beautiful body...You really take care of yourself, eh, friendo? Hehehe...A good representation of the Aryan race. You're not my Little girl, but it is still a pleasure. Be honest with me, you work out, right? Or maybe it is an effect of your prosperity. The more prosperous, better looks. Although I firmly believe you are gods in miniature, represent the ideal of beautfy of your people. If my dear girl grew up, she would turned out to be quite a beauty. But I like her that way. The incarnation of innocence. Of the placid life in the Helvetian countryside.

He talked. He did nothing but talk. And I could picture little Liechtenstein in my place, scared, having to listen to that man.

"It is just too funny for me, you know? Doesn't this remind you of Mengele and one of his victims? Does it bring back good memories? You can be honest with me, we are among Friends. It is well known the Allies knew of the death camps from the first years of war and decided to focus on winning. Yes. But you were not aware of everything? I don't believe that. Oh, bad doctor, bad. You went through so many trials, you don't need an old man like me to judge you decades later. You paid the price dearly. You collaborated in hunting down the Nazi leaders, Mengele included. Yes, you've had enough. Now you spend your time doing much calmer things, like ruling Europe through that impressive cancellor of yours. The iron lady! No surprise German ladies have certain reputation. They got your nerve.

Liechtenstein, torn apart to be reconstructed again and again, and that man looking, chatting...

"Never mind the uncomfortable memories, Germany. The good thing about death is that it makes you forget all sorrows. It is not that terrible...It is even worse having to live with the burden…"

I saw him turning around, with his gloves on.

"Remember what happened in Besland, 2004?"

If that was an act of justice for what I let my bosses do to those poor people, justice was made. I started to get nervous. How he felt my body, like identifying each vein, the position of each bone, the shape of each muscle.

"You were surely too busy with your own issues, of course. Well, you see: a group of Muslim terrorists irrumpted into a school in the city of Beslan. They wanted the independence of Chechnya...Russia...Russia knew an attacked was planned against a school...and did nothing...and once everything happened, do you know what he did? Do you know what happened? Negotiations were a disaster and the forces of security hurried too much. A hundred and eighty six children died. Among them….among them...my Little Jannochka.

The man chuckled bitterly. Still to this day I remember that chuckle and I shiver.

"Russia insisted that he and his army had done well. Pressured by the UN he gave us a millionaire compensation...Money...for the life of a child...Russia considered the case closed, the other countries...Just like that...Sure, they didn't have to go back home and face that empty room, the silence, a wife who took more and more medication...It is not personal, my friend...But there is too much injustice in the world…"

Poor Liechtenstein...

"If there were no religions...if there were no borders to defend...Just one race: the human race...Oh, it would be so marvellous...Then we could live in peace and harmony…"

I saw him grabbing a saw. A damned electric saw. I didn't scream or jerk. I was just shaken by a shiver when he approached to me with that thing in his hands.

"When you meet my girl in Heaven...Tell her daddy loves her…"

He didn't get to switch on the device. A shadow appeared behing him and hit him hardly in the head.

"Tell her yourself, you son of a bitch."

I was alarmed. I tried to fight against my ties, but then the person approached to the light.

"Germany! Are you alright?"

I knew him. I knew that face.

"Switzerland?" he didn't look like himself, with that haircut, but there was no doubt it was Switzerland.

"Damn, what have they done to you?" he muttered, releasing me.

"Nothing. You got right on time. Thank you" I said as I got up.

"Here. Put this on" somebody I didn't notice at first said, handing me my clothes.

"Austria?" what was wrong with them, they had completely changed their style? Austria, as far as I knew, and unless he had been hit in the head, hated the juvenile fashion of the new times and insisted on wearing glasses.

Talking about hits in the head...

"Is he dead?" I asked, pointing at the fallen man.

Switzerland moved him with the tip of his shoe.

"It seems so."

"You shouldn't have done that" Austria judged him.

"He was about to cut Germany into pieces with that thing. I Will give account to whoever I have to."

Switzerland's expression softened. For the first time in an awful lot of time, I saw him letting dow his emotional defenses. He looked around, to that hole filled with devices, cameras which focused on the opperating table, the dark stains that couldn't be cleaned from the floor...He closed his eyes and hugged himself.

"Liechtenstein has been locked up in here this whole time? At the mercy of this beast?" he whispered.

"She's not here. But she has to be close. For some reason, I've had to take her place. But she's alive. I am sure. That man was going to give her a gift."

Switzerland breathed deep and started climbing the stairs.

"And what the heck are you doing in here? How did you find me?" I asked Austria as I followed him.

"We've been following hunches and doing stupid things for weeks. We've simply been lucky. And we had help from above. I didn't bring my planner; remind me when we get home the first thing I do is to go to Saint Stephen."

'Oh'. Switzerland remembered something when he almost reached the door. He retraced his steps and crouched down to take something from the pocket of the doctor: a purple ribbon. Then, he kicked the man's head and came out again.

"You don't have a pone with you, right?" he asked me.

"No. They broke it when they abduced me" I replied.

"Well, we should find someone who can lend us one somewhere. Let them get all clues they can from this place and take care of that man. But first we're going to find Liechtenstein."

He looked at the house the basement belonged to. It wasn't plausible they had been using it without the owner knowing it. It had to belong to the same person. There had to be more of them around...

Switzerland gripped his weapon and headed to the house.

It was then when an explosión made us fall backwards.


	46. Liechtenstein V

**Monday, March 10th**

Before my abduction, before all those events, I used to watch many Disney movies. I loved them, mostly Sleeping Beauty. But not anymore. Now it is difficult to me to watch one without remembering my captivity in Tero's company. She loved those movies. Those were her only window to the world. Maybe it was their magic what made her bitter, because she looked around and she did not find herself in enchanted castles, green forests or the beach.

That afternoon she was practicing hairstyles on me while she hummed one of the songs from Tangled. She had a portable CD player by her side, but she seemed to have that music in her head and turned it off to sing it. She wanted to make me pretty. She combed my hair slowly, carefully, so focused she looked like a proffesional hairdresser. I let her do. Nurse, as always, watched us. If I hadn't already known her, it could have been said she was our lovely older sister.

Something was wrong. I saw her looking out the window and react in a strange way to something. She glanced at Tero, then at me, then back through the window. She hesitated. Finally, she headed inside of the house and came back with a backpack she put on her back. She walked to the door fast as a lightning.

"Where are you going, Mimi?"

The woman stopped and looked at Tero, who kept her eyes locked on my hair.

"We ran out of milk, honey, and if you want me to make you those yummy cereals I have to get more of it."

"Liar."

I looked at Tero, frozen.

"You're going away and leaving me alone."

"It will be just a momento, dear."

"You're a liar. You're leaving and you're never coming back. You're another coward."

She still didn't look away from her work. She talked with the same calm one says it's raining outside. I saw the color on Nurse's face vanish.

"You don't love me anymore."

"I do love you, Tero, my precios..."

"Then, why are you leaving?"

"I'm going nowhere, sweetie, I've told you. I'm only going to get milk."

Tero finally turned to her.

"Do you promise?"

"Of course, honney."

"Pinky swear?"

Tero showed her her Little finger. Her big eyes stared at the Nurse without blinking until she made her succumb. Adults have it very difficult not to yield to children. She removed the backpack, left it aside and crouched down to be at her level and join their fingers. Teto smiled at her.

Only I saw she dropped the comb and her hand looked for the music player.

I almost got hit in the nose but it did hit Nurse in the head. She let out a whine and fell flat on her face. There, before she had the chance to get up, Tero kept hitting her with all strength that little body of hers had. She hit again and again like an animal.

When she stopped, blood had darkened Nurse's hair and she didn't move.

Tero turned towards me. I felt my heart stop. I approached my hands to my chest in an impulsive gesture of defense.

"One less liar" she muttered, dropping the player and approaching me.

But I didn't want her to comb me anymore.

"T-Tero..."

She frowned.

"What's the matter?"

"Y-You just killed her…"

"I know."

And then she did something disgusting. She approached the dead woman, pressed her index finger on her broken head and put it inside of her mouth. She smiled at me as if she had just tasted a pie. 'A terrible nation, who fed on the blood of its people", came back to my mind.

"Will you leave too?"

"...N-No. Not me."

"You tried once. How do I know you won't?"

"Because I promised you I'd stay with you."

Tero turned her head to the corpse and saw a sour expression on her face.

"I hate them...I hate them so much...They're nothing but liars, all of them! Traitors!"

Not going to lie, I had noticed she had been acting strangely for a couple of days. Maybe it is my perception, after having access to the complete story and filling the gaps, but I think she already knew something was going wrong. She didn't smile that often anymore. Could she feel too how her own people saved their own skin, how one by one they were incarcelated? Out there, she was losing allies, her project was being abandoned or spoiled. She was getting weaker. And that irritated her. There is nothing worse than a sick child.

"She said she loved me, and she wanted to leave me! I will leave them...I don't want to be locked up in here any longer!"

I was too scared to resist. I let her grab my wrist and drag me harshly to the kitchen. There, she opened the fridge to grab a spray bottle of cream. I didn't understand what she wanted to do with that, until I saw her putting it inside of the microwave and turning the timer around. Then she opened the gas. She grabbed the backpack and made me run out of there.

"Tero! What are you doing?! I screamed among many other things.

"I hate this house!"

I didn't have time to think much more. When we were almost reaching the door, the explosion took place.

I recovered consciousness under some rubble. I found the exit and saw I had some ugly wounds, but I would survive. What about Tero? I found her near me, lying on her stomach. I called her, helped her stand up. She was confused but alive. She looked at her own body, the bleeding injuries she had. She was great for what just happened, but she was disturbed. That had to be the first time she ever bled, she ever felt pain. She screamed.

"Tero, calm down...Calm down, please…"

She rewarded my concern with a punch.

"DON'T YOU EVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO! NOBODY IS GOING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO ANYMORE!"

The house was destroyed. The wooden floor had collapsed over the basement. The place where I had been held captive for more days than I could count. When I returned home and was with the disposition needed to hear the details about my abduction, I knew the Doctor was in there, severely harmed, with a brain injury, and could have been saved if it wasn't for the collapse.

"NOT YOU! NOT ANYBODY! IF YOU EVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO AGAIN, I WILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

The movement didn't know what they did creating Tero. Many nights I've asked myself if her actions were motivated by nature or the isolation she suffered and the people who indulged every whim of hers. I can't deny there were times when I felt sorry for that little girl.

"YOU ARE THE LITTLE BIG WHO OBEYS AND I AM THE ONE WHO RULES!"

The remains of the house were burning. The fire spread quickly. What was left standing could fall over our heads.

I looked at Tero. I watched her monstruous wrath. Those yellow eyes filled with madness, with no love for the world she planned to dominate or the people who created her.

Whoever is reading these lines, whoever you are, I hope you don't judge me harshly.

She was smaller than I was. Although she had the rage and the strength that gives, I was older.

I pushed her to the flames. That is what I did.

She let out terrible howls and I didn't want to look.

Still to this day I include a plea in my prayers for God Almighty to forgive me for what I did. It was ugly. But at that moment I believed I was doing the right thing. Tero could never see the outside world. Nobody could ever know about her.

I ran away from there, outside, to the snow. Some parts of the ceiling fell over my head, but I got nothing serious. Breathing pure air after so much time being locked up and in anguish felt so...I cannot describe it. But when I found myself there alone and free, I let out a long sigh and fell on my back. The screams ceased, thank God.

But then I heard some unexpected screams.

"Liechtenstein?!"

I stood up. Dizzy, I looked around me. I only saw smoke, my sight was blurry, but...

"Liechtenstein!"

A figure appeared in front of me. It was a boy with a ponytail. He looked at me wide-eyed, but there was something in them, the shape of his face, that...

"Liechtenstein!"

That voice...It couldn't me...

"Switzerland?"

I took some steps in his direction, he stopped barely a few centimeters away from me.

He was Switzerland. My brother. His appareance was slightly different, but there was no doubt about it. His green eyes, which reminded of the prairies in Springtime. His hair like gold. His slight smell of delicious melted cheese. I couldn't help touching his cheeks. Warm, soft.

"I knew you were alright…" that was his voice, smooth like chocolate.

Switzerland...

Is it possible to describe the happiness one feels when they meet a loved one again, when after some misfortune they return to their arms?


	47. Canada VI

"How brutal!"

"Greszczyszyn was a soldier once. He had muscles as big as babies. He hit scarily hard. Between punch and punch he interrogated him. He didn't seem to know who he was, or what he was once. I think he didn't even know where the territory of Prussia had been. But he was a nation. He confirmed it when Wafula rolled up his coat and showed a completely flat stomach, with no navel."

"Did he betray you?"

"Not at all. Never. Even if I just stood there watching as they beat him up, he didn't open his mouth. Well, he did open it, to spit out blood, look at him to the face and say: 'You didn't even remove the dust out of me, Captain Hook'. With that he earned hearder punches and kicks directed to vital organs. He ended up with the jaw, the nose and two ribs broken, one tooth too...And still he never said why he was there or if he was alone. I was desperate. I wanted to run to get help but I was forced to be there. I have to confess I also felt nervous about the possibility that Prussia would turn me in. But no. He didn't. From that moment on, I feel so much respect for him.

» It was then when I saw Wafula heading to the house. He was going to tell everyone what they had found out. All of them would kill him. Greszczyszyn was telling him at that precise moment as he grabbed Prussia by the hair. He said to him: 'It seems what we suspected is true: you are completely inmortal, the only thing that can really harm a nation is another nation. But I Will enjoy so much beating you to a pulp again, and again, and again, and again'. I was afraid for him. I wasn't sure if a beating would kill him in his case. Prussia...ceased to exist long time ago. I didn't even know how he was still alive. I did nothing but ask myself if he got to survive the destruction of his empire but became mortal. That is another issue, anyway. Wafula was about to raise the alarm about the mole.

» So I acted. I couldn't take it anymore. Before he gave one more step, I grabbed him from the Hood, forced him to turn around and headbutted him.

(the audience claps enthusiastically, Canada bluses)

"Oh, please, it's not such a big deal…"

"You could have played along and let them kill him. I believe it is worth applauding."

"No, really, anyone..anyone in my place would have done that…"

"I doubt that. But, what about Greszczyszyn? Your cover had just been blown up."

"That is true. When he saw what I just did, at first he looked at me confused, as if he didn't quite believe it. Then he looked at Prussia. 'What is this?', he asked. He dropped him, stood up and walked towards me. I wanted to hit him in the jaw but grabbed my hand and sqeezed it so bad I saw the stars. I hadn't fought in so long, I was rusty. On the contrary, life was a permanent battle for him. 'Are you one of his men? A cop? A soldier? I should have known. Answer me, you big (…)', he shouted at me. I saw Prussia rolling in the snow to look at me, not able to move. He was surprised by my gesture, but mostly, he was judging me. I think he called me an idiot in low voice. Looking at him made me get back the courage."

» 'I am not a man', I replied. And showed him the proof. I rolled up my sweater and showed him him and I were not the same. I did not have a birth mark.

» Greszczyszyn never said my name. I don't know if he ever knew who I exactly was. He only knew I was one more nation. One making a fool out of him had made him very angry, but two...Oh, was he mad. He pounced on me and started hitting me. He wrecked my glasses in one blow. His hook, I don't know what it was made of, but hurt so bad. 'He's going to kill me', I thought. How silly, isn't it? But that's what I thought. What a beast. America surely has to be proud of the specimen he creates in his army. The pure definition of a tough guy."

"How did you get out of that one?"

_(there is a long pause, so long the interviewer gazes at his guest with worry; Canada finally sighs)_

"Italy appeared…"


	48. Romano V

"I hate the cold! I hate the fucking cold!"

We arrived to the place the coordinates marked. Among the few things we had packed for our express trip we had coat but nobody ever told me Iceland was that cold. I was frozen, and I didn't even know what the hell I was doing there. That's what I told the sweethearts.

"There is nothing in there! It's just a damned town with five houses, I counted them! Can you tell me why we lost our time coming here?"

"We just arrived, fratello, let's go take a walk" Veneziano said.

"Yeah, sure!" We made four thousand kilometers to take a walk in the butt of the world, where it is dark at this time and it's cold as balls!"

"Feliciano is right, we should take a look around" Fanelli said.

"Of course, you're on his side…" I muttered. I had no choice but to follow them. What could have I done there on my own?

I am not exaggerating when I say there were five houses in there. There were no more of them. It shouldn't have even been called a town. There was no one around. Nobody except us, who were the only morons outside at that time. There wasn't a soul to be seen; all of them were probably at home or something, with the heater on, warm chocolate or what the hell they drink in Iceland and a warm blanket on. Like normal people. But no, there we were, looking for Canada. I didn't even know who Canada was. I couldn't picture his or her face. But whoever that was, I was sure they were mocking us. Or maybe they got the wrong address and sent us some geolocating clue or what the hell is it called, that thing some people do for fun, walking around looking for stuff following clues. The only thing I knew was that I regretted soon having said yes to that madness.

But the fact that there were only a few houses made it very easy to know what was going on in the town.

We heard some screams. Two houses away from where we were, there were two people on the floor and a ripped guy on top of another guy. We didn't notice there was blood on the snow until we approached.

"Are there any more international guests today, eh?!"

"Isn't that…?" Veneziano said then, pointing at one of the people on the floor.

One of them was black, the other, all the contrary, his hair seemed to be filled with snow, but it was actually like that, white. I also recognized him.

"Prussia?" he called him.

It didn't matter he attracted the attention of the guy who screamed and hit. He had seen us coming anyway. He raised his head and looked at us with his nostrils very open, huffing like a fierce bull, surely overexcited from so much screaming and punching people.

"Yeah, I see there are, dammit…" he muttered.

And we saw how he put his hand inside of his coat to grab something. Fanelli saw it the first and that's why she looked for her gun quickly.

And then...Bang!

It all happened so fast I needed some time to realize what just happened. By then, it was too late to react or do anything.

That man attacked the first he recognized, which was my brother.

Fanelli, doing her duty as a bodyguard and fiancee, got in the way and tried to shoot.

That guy's bullet was faster.

Fanelli fell to the ground and Veneziano followed her.

"Carlotta!"

I also dropped to the floor, by Fanelli's side, using my arms as a shield.

At least there was someone who reacted fast. The guy that man had been beating up stood up and even though he was torn apart he pounced on him and hit him in his temples. The muscled guy fell to the floor and the other guy hit him in the face several times, grunting like an animal, until he stopped moving. Only for a few seconds. I heard him mutter 'motherfucker' and grab his pistol, but the other snatched it and pointed at him with it.

"D-Don't move…"

"C-Carlotta?"

Prussia stood up with an awful lot of difficulty. His face was red, swollen and full of blood. He had been beaten up good. But he was better than Fanelli.

I felt the tip of her fingers touching my thigh and I, obeying an impulse, took her hand. I don't know. Maybe my subconscious knew before I did that...

A few seconds later I felt no strength at all. Veneziano did nothing but shake her, delicately of course, but desperately looking for a reaction. He wouldn't stop calling her name. Prussia approached him, grunted because he felt like _merda_ and placed a hand on his shoulder. Veneziano stopped trying. Finally, he understood.

...I didn't want Fanelli to die, okay? I just wanted her to...to...to just leave, but I never wanted her to die. She really loved my brother. Even if she had to be aware that people like us cannot be killed just like that, she stood in the way to prevent him from suffering any harm. She loved me too. She always tried to be friendly with me. The last thing she ever did was to gaze at Veneziano and look for my hand so I grabbed it.

She didn't have to die...

Nobody said anything. Nobody moved. Until Veneziano did. He left Fanelli delicately on the ground, as if she was sleeping, and walked straight to the one-armed man who killed her.

Then we saw those people running away.

I don't know what he saw, if he saw someone familiar or if he simply thought it was suspicious that the only people in that place ran away as soon as they saw us. What I know is that suddenly Veneziano got strength out of nowhere and ran after them.

They say I am the black sheep of the family. It is in my place where the mafia was born, probably my children had a lot of responsibility on the creation and rising of fascism. But I know better than anyone that nobody wants to see my brother angry.


	49. Austria VI

**_Wonder Woman's wrath_ (Rupert Gregson-Williams)**

* * *

Still today I am amazed at how Liechtenstein got to escape from her captivity. I only have the reports about it and my imagination to fill the gaps, because she has barely talked about it and Switzerland is so defensive to her that if he could erase what happened from her mind, if there was some kind of machine capable of eliminating bad memories (and seeing how quick science progresses these days, I am sure we will have it soon), he would use it on her. Despite everything, I don't think her silence is due to the traume. She is a strong child. All that happened has shown that under that aura of innocence there is a great instinct of survival. I am sure she had a lot to do with the explosion, the corpses found, even though nothing can be proven and she has confirmed or denied nothing.

Anyway, at those moments what mattered was that she was safe. Switzerland had her in his arms again. She was alright. Injured, but alright. Our craziness had been fruitful. I couldn't believe it...that is why it was so gratifying. Seeing Switzerland dropping his shield for a momento and embracing his sister so sweetly and delicately was something worth seeing.

Then the shot was heard, and some screams echoed. Germany turned his head and extended his arm to point at what seemed like small dots:

"There!"

He instantly ran to see what was happening. I knew Switzerland wouldn't want to expose Liechtenstein to danger or leave her again, so I followed him.

It was a tiny town, with barely five houses. In such a small extensión it was possible to know what happened around. As soon as the movement, that is, the only two members left, saw that suddenly that almost abandoned town was crowded with nations, some of them armed, that the house where their prisoner was was destroyed and some of their companions were dead or arrested, they took the Smart decision to flee. They took advantage of one of their strongest men, Greszczyszyn, was being a pain, and the death of Italy's bodyguard.

But Italy, Veneziano, wouldn't let them leave just like that.

At first we didn't know who was that person who ran like a cheetah after the pair. He wore a red coat, that's all I saw. But something seemed to get Germany's attention, something which made him recognize him, because then he called:

"Italy!"

At that moment I couldn't even imagine what on earth Italy was doing there, in Iceland. Even when Romano told us the story it took me some time to join the pieces of the puzzle. It was a surprise to me, who had collaborated with the Axis during World War II and had seen first-hand how coward he was in the battlefield, to see Italy running in such a way after such dangerous people. Then I knew they had killed his fiancee.

There is something all those who want to deal with North Italy should know. He is an easy-going person, with simple looks. One sees him and thinks he is only interested about pasta and having a good time. But he is also tremendously passionate. When those people killed the woman he wanted to make his wife, his heart, his soul, his whole being focused on hunting down the ones to blame. The Italian vendetta is known in the whole world for a reason.

"Italy!" Germany was in better shape than I was. He overtook me son and could reach him while I was being left behind.

Despite the friendship among those two, Italy didn't seem to listen. He didn't lose sight of those two individuals who tried to escape through the snow, a man and a woman. From the distance I could see Martina Ughetti's characteristic looks, the woman who invaded our cell phones and sent us that warning message we should have listened to. They were too slow and Italy was going too fast. There was only one option for them, it seems.

"Watch out! He's got a...!"

Weapon. Italy had no time to hear the rest of it; he suffered it personally.

That stopped his race.

Only for a few seconds those two couldn't even take advantage of. He resumed his chase a bit slower, but without a pause.

"Shoot him! Shoot him, for fuck's sake!" Ughetti yelled. Her voice echoed in that empty space.

And that is what her partner did. He shot three times more. The bullets all got Italy in different parts of his torso. They made him let out a little whine. They made him shrink and go slower. But he still didn't stop.

It is curious, the effect love has on people.

It seems it was the most horrific thing that pair of criminals had ever witnessed, because they just stared like idiots. They might have thought Italy didn't give a care about physical pain. When they tried to react, they were filled with snow and Italy had reached them.

I remember thinking he was going to kill them. Germany confessed me later that he had thought just the same thing. Both of us saw his face when he finally grabbed them, panting, with his body full of bullet holes and his eyes flaming. Those were the looks of a cherub turned into a demon.

He grabbed Ughetti by the braid when she tried to escape. Ogura insulted him in his native language and tried to shoot him in the face, but, unfortunately for him, he ran out of bullets. Itally snatched it with his free hand and raised it. He was going to destroy his skull with its butt.

"Italy! Italy, don't!" Germany shouted, running to him.

The shots hadn't tickled him, precisely. I could hear when I finally got there how difficult it was for him to breath with his lungs perforated. But reaching them was what kept him alive and had the chance to apply the eye for an eye rule.

"Italy…" Germany panted.

But what could he say to make him change his mind? They had killed his girlfriend. They were responsible for the deaths of several nations. They had taken the lives of innocent civilians. Why couldn't he end with them now that he had the chance?

Italy, however, turned his head. It almost looked like he noticed then that Germany was there. He seemed surprised for a second. Calm. But then his face again showed rage. Germany wanted to beg him again, but he interrupted him:

"We're going to...send them...to...justice...Whoever has to...j...judge them...We're going to show...them we're not...we're not like them…"

It seemed Ogura would have rather been killed right there. It would have been perfect for the smear campaign against us he had worked hard to créate. And it is worth mentioning that in his motherland, Japan, capital punishment is applied. Someone who had betrayed their own nation could only end up in one place: death row. The dishonor of being killed by what he had tried to kill. He revolved, screamed, but Italy didn't pay attention to him. He gazed at Germany and his expression relaxed.

"We're not...what they think we are..."

That fierceness which had given us goosebumps was only temporary. Italy had taken strength out of his deepest places and now he was out of it. He collapsed, Germany held him. Ughetti and Ogura tried to take this chance to flee, but this time it was me the one who grabbed them.

"Where do you think you are doing, gentlemen?" I told them.

Prussia approached soon after that.

Prussia? That was another apparition which surprised me.

"Italy!" he exclaimed when he saw our friend.

"He'll be fine" I said.

"I don't think so. They killed his girl."

We believed until that momento that he was simply moved by the impulse of doing justice after all the atrocities the One World Nation Movement had been doing. When we found out there was a personal factor to add...It surprised me even more that he didn't reduce the heads of those two to a pulp and I couldn't help looking at him with tremendous pity.

"Canada stole Greszczyszyn, A.K.A 'Mr. Sonofabitch''s phone" Prussia continued. "He's making a few calls. I hope someone comes soon to solve this and take the trash out."

"You bastard…" Ughetti insulted him.

"Sorry, babe. That's what you get for trusting handsome guys like me."

Who is Canada, I asked myself.

Germany, instead, he didn't seem to listen or even know that the one who was speaking was his older brother. He had Italy fainted in his arms and it seemed like it was the only thing that mattered to him.


	50. Luxembourg

I was informed that an emergency meeting had been called at the European Parliament barely a couple of hours before it started. Apparently, it was France's doing. He wanted us to meet as soon as posible. So I had to leave what I was doing (I was trying to follow an Internet tutorial on how to make White sauce) and set everything ready.

That was not a meeting like the previous ones. We were only three nations in there. The others had business to take care of or, disappointed, they were not going to lose time with 'useless meetings'. It was really depressing to go there and only see uniformed politicians. It was an extremely calm gathering, but the fact that there were no screams, no arguments, no exaggerated laughs...How grim.

France was there, of course, but what really attracted my attention was that England was by his side.

I didn't know what he was doing in there. He was not a member anymore. He had been so eager to leave the Unión, he was in such a hurry, I didn't understand why he was there. I supposed after his brother Sealand's slaughter he had seen himself as weak and needed external help to defend himself. It is known how many people act like they are independent until problems arise. But by France's side? When they were like cat and dog? But then France took the floor and distracted me from that question:

"I have summoned you here, ladies and gentlement, because it seems evident that the One World Nation Movement has won. Yes. They have won. Don't look at me like that. They have us hanging on to each of their moves. Only hearing of them makes us tremble with fear. You only need to look around you: how many nations do you see here? You hadn't brought them out of fear. Because they are afraid themselves. Why bothering, right? If something has to be done, that's what the Triumvirate is for. The rest of us can lock ourselves up at home, away from the accusatory eyes of the people, to wait either that they are extermined like cockroacher or for our own people to turn their backs on us. Because, well, what else can we do? It is too late to change. All of those things they accuse us of it one hundred percent true.

» Look at me and you will see my hands are stained with blood. I, who talked so much about freedom, have trafficked with slaves. I did unspeakable things in Algeria. During the revolution, which one you glorify so much, not only did I see thousands and thousands of heads Rolling, I also witnessed how the put the corpses in indecorous postures, and I laughed! And the time when the man who ended with all that, Napoleon, I don't know if you know who I am talking about, made me fight against my friend Spain and restored the ancient regime. As for my people, who fred me from the Axis, not before doing some looting, violating some guarrantees of the prisoners and violating in the common sense of the Word...And I am sure I left something out. What about you, England, my friend? Tell them what you've done."

"We could spent here all morning, but I'll only say I built my empire on the blood and sweat of others. I repressed my colonies harshly, using all methods it took, as abominable as they could be, I starved many, it is my fault there was an Apartheid in Africa and, yes, I also had slaves, not only black. Like everyone else, by the way…"

"The movement is right. Why saving us, after what we've done? It would be better to forget that we once existed and erasing all trace of our atrocities. But here we are. For some reason, we haven't turned into dust yet. I hoped I did, once. I couldn't stop thinking that maybe, maybe they were right and it was time to pay the Price. I secluded myself at home and waited for it. It had to be son, I said to myself. And when the attacks occured and innocent people were hurt, I thought they had more reason than ever to hate me. But the end never came. The agony never ended. And then my people, my marvellous people...defended me. They considered my life was worth it. After all. Knowing my past...

»They made me understand. They know our history and still love us. They love us because we represent a part of their souls. We are living heritage. Voices from ancient times live inside of us. The necessity to remember is more powerful than forgetting...After all, even though you try to deny it, we have shaped you in what you are today…You are the way you are today partly because of us. We were your masters. Even if we never met personally. I believe, if I may say so...we were created so you could face yourselves through us...It is not always something ugly. There are also pretty things to rescue from the pile of bad things...

» Gentlemen, ladies, if the rising of the movement has achieved something, it is the reversal of the system. This time, it was us, the nations, who have faced you, the citizens. Our life has always been in your hands, but it is now when we have seen you have the power to make us disappear. You have made us face the errors we have tried to hide under the carpet. And I say the One World Nation Movement won the battle, because the old world has disappeared. That world where everything was resolved with injustice and blood spilling. Just like after the last world war the attrocities commited frightened us so much we have done all possible to be more human since then, now we Will use our repulse to those who kill our children, pave their way to an utopia with innocent blood, to join together and defend our marvellous differences.

»But we can't fight as we have been doing until now, from hate. It must be done from love. From humanity. That is why my friend England and I are asking you for your collaboration to end this matter once and for all. The whole continent joining forces, members or not of the Unión, to stop the movement, protect our citizens and show them we might not be perfect, but we will always do everything necessary for our people.

I must say something about France: that confounded man knows how to appeal to the masses. He made the whole room stand up and applaud. Even England, who, as one famous actress once said, wouldn't have peed on him if he was on fire, did. He whispered a few things into his ear and France nodded with a smile. Cameras filmed everything, from the discourse to those friendly words with the man who was once his mortal enemy. Millions of people saw that. Thanks to social media it spread like wildfire.

And people started to take action.


	51. Norway

It was shameful, simply lame. They forced us on our knees, like we were criminals. They broke into Sweden's house, it seems they search through everything inside, as if they really believed for a second he could have had something to do with the darned movement. We were there to celebrate the New Year and we didn't even want to, we only did that so he wasn't left alone with his thoughts and try to relieve the feeling of seeing Sealand's chair empty. And in the meanwhile Russia watched. He smirked. This had nothing to do with the movement.

"Russia!"

Sweden turned his head and tried to stand up, but the soldiers didn't let him.

"Mr. Minister!"

It was him, the head of State of his house, and he was with ours. I called my prime minister and she approached me, horrified.

"Lukas! Did he do something to you?" she asked me, as if having me like that wasn't bad enough!

Sweden's boss faced Russia.

"We never authorized an intervention!"

"I've took some liberties" Russia just said.

"Oh, come on, Mr. Minister."

Just what we needed! That voice belonged to China, who walked towards us with his hands behind his back, wearing that black uniform of his, and a tiny part of his vast army behind him.

"We have to move quickly if we want to corner the terrorists."

If China had joined the party...

"Is there any problem? The kids are behaving."

Yeah. There was the third participant: America. Casual but walking with martial air. Like the cocky guy he was. And also accompanied by a small troop.

"Where are your superiors?" the Swedish prime minister asked.

"Aren't we enough for you?" America asked.

"No. I want to speak to your superiors."

"We will have to do" China shrugged.

"Do I have to take this as an act of rebellion against your bosses?" Denmark's prime minister asked.

"You can take it however you want" America replied blatantly.

"You can't just take the army of your country and..."

"Ah, don't you know?" Russia laughed. "_We_ are the country."

"If it was for you, the politicians, we would act when there's not a freaking city left standing" America said. "Too many nations and too many people have died already. I've lost a little brother. And I'm done."

A little brother, he said...He, who cared so little about Sealand's existence!

"The movement justifies its violent actions with the excuse that we repress them when they are being pacific, and you three with your searches are proving them right!" Finland's minister said. Defying Russia's soldiers he helped our friend stand up.

"It doesn't matter what they think of us as long as..."

"Yes. I know you don't care what people think of you, America" Estonia's president replied. "But sometimes you should listen."

"Listen..."

Russia giggled and approached the lady. I saw her forcing herself to stay where she was without shying away, but I saw her cringing in front of such an imposing man, and I saw Estonia look at them with alarm, like ready to save her at the smallest gesture from Russia.

"I listened to Nikolai when he told me he was being severe for the common good, and the took my people to desperation, and with that, to revolution. When the Bolshevists took him and his family away they told me they wouldn't hurt them, and I believed them, and they killed them like dogs. Vladimir, then Iósif, told me they would bring peace, equality, everything would get better, and...do you remember, Estonia? Did you have a good time? Do you think someone had a good time? Did Ukraine have a good time while her people starved to death and had to eat each other?" Russia giggled like a child again, and I forced myself not to be intimidated by him. "Listening to others is what made me the bad guy. But it doesn't matter. I have it well assumed. If I have to be the bad guy, I want it to be for something I chose to do..."

America and China approached Russia.

"Well said, man" I thought I heard wrong. America complimenting Russia? He touched his back in a friendly way, without a knife in his hand or anything? The movement had really changed things.

"All of you have decided we were the bad guys" China stared at everyone present. "You are afraid of us. You made many people fear us...Good."

It seemed he was going to say something else, but there was a new unexpected apparition. The Triumvirate's soldiers ran to someone who approached, I didn't see who with that human mass in the way.

"Let us through, bloody hell!"

I recognized that voice. So did America, that is why he made a gesture with his hand so the soldiers dispersed.

Who was it but the man who raised him, England, along with France?

"Only that fucking Dalai Lama is missing here" I heard Denmark complain by my side.

"Are you going to start nagging, as you always do?" America asked, crossing his arms and doing that face he always does, of a brat.

"It certainly would be nice to know why our friends are surrounded by soldiers with rifles" France observed with a frown.

"We were just talking" Russia replied.

"We wanted answer, that's all; they got cocky and we had to take them down a peg. That is the reason" China said. I wanted to punch him so bad.

"I see you use the no-aggression pacts to wipe your behind when you go to the toilet" England looked at them with severity. "And the movement got to set you against the whole world."

"You're wrong" America replied. "We want to do something. That's all we've done against the world. We've broken up the American and the Oceanic branches. We're going to get those who are left before they keep killing. Whatever it takes."

"Even hurting your allies, friends and family?" England took a step forward and stood face to face with him.

"If for some reasons they don't have the balls to go get them, if they show mercy on those who have been hurting our people...Yes. And we'd rather do this in a different way, but they leave us no choice..."

"By God, Alfred, are you listening to yourself?"

"I know very well what I'm saying. My people is the most important thing for me. I'm going to free them of this threat. And if someone stands in my way..."

"In other times you wouldn't have hesitated in annihilating them without caring about who was in your way" China intervened, gazing at England.

"But now is now. I have understood that is no way to act."

"You are scared" France said. "You are terrified. And the movement is taking advantage of it."

"And what do you propose to do?" China asked. "Let them poison the minds of our people and keep killing?"

"We have to start from admitting we have our part of blame about all of this. If our people have been seduced by the ideas of the movement, it is not a matter of silencing brutally those who have taken the loudspeaker. We have to do self-criticism and talk to our citizens. Recover their trust. Then, they will get rid of it themselves by not listening to them."

"You can imprison and execute the members of the movement" England continued. "Many of them deserve it for crossing the line and defending their ideas doing harm. But you simply can't destroy ideas. That way you only reinforce the bad image you have, of oppressive imperialists. Can't you see?"

"England" China approached him. "Kazuki Ogura is here, in Europe. He was the leader of the Asian faction. He gave the order to get Sealand killed by massacring his people. Don't you want him to pay for what he did?"

There was a small pause. I couldn't see England's expression from where I was, but I could hear his voice, determined.

"He will pay for what he did. But following the rules. That is why we're here."

"We come from the Europol. We're going after them. But we're doing it right" France remarked.

"Right...I know what concept you have for 'right'" China disdainfully said. "You will put them on a trial, sentence them for hundreds of years, maybe for life, but they will find a good lawyer, or you will approve a lay of human rights, and in twenty or so, or as soon as they get sick, you will set them free. That kind of justice doesn't convince me."

A melody interrupted us. It played right by my side. It was Iceland's phone. Since it was surely someone who wanted to say happy new year to him, he let it be. But they called insistingly. Eventually he picked up the phone, despite the warnings of the soldier by his side.

"...What...?"

Iceland looked at me, then removed the phone from his ear and clicked the loudspeaker button..

"Repeat what you just said to me."

"Eh? Oh, well...Uh...I-I'm in your place, Iceland, in...okay, I don't know how to pronounce the name of this place, but we got Igor Greszczyszyn, the leader of the movement in America. And..."

"Canada?" France exclaimed, approaching.

"Wh...?" America muttered, running to come closer too.

"France? It's me, Canada! It's a bit long to explain, but we got to arrest Greszczyszyn, the fugitive member of the American section, and we have Ogura and Ughetti too! And Wafula, from Africa! They were here, holding an emergency meeting, the leaders of the continents remaining! There are still a few members around, but they got to escape! I need you to order the closure of airports and control all exits from the island before they escape!"

Iceland is so far away many don't even consider him European. Just...an island in the middle of the sea, isolated, mysterious. Something irreal. He had never had so much attention on himself. When I saw him I though he suffered stage fright. He glanced around him.

Finally he looked at me. I tried to calm him down grabbing his hand and looking at him to the eyes.

He nodded. Then he looked at both the Triumvirate and England and France.

"All together. And as if has to be done."

The determination in his voice made me prouder of him than ever.


	52. Greece

**New life (Thomas Bergersen)**

* * *

There was a thinker born during the reign of splendor of my mother, called Epictetus, who once said you only have to fear fear itself.

There are people who accuse me of having behaved during that dark period as if nothing happened. While people died around the world, beings like me among them, I continued my routine: woke up late in the morning, took care of the matters everyone expects from me as a nation in the political sphere, and my cats too, took walks, read, watched television, cooked...As if the world wasn't crumbling around me, they said.

But, was there a better moment to do those things?

They said I had to die. I prepared myself for dying, then.

During those times, I enjoyed more than ever what was around me, that world I had to leave behind. Everything has changed so much since I saw the light of the sun for the first time. I like this century. Through a screen I have access to the ideas of millions of people around the world. Never has a book been more accessible. Each day a new song is released. Just by visiting a supermarket I can prepare any dish I can think of. I also had my little pleasures, like hearing the purr of a cat while I rub his belly, or simply watching the sunrise and sunset. Those days I devoted myself to say goodbye to all of that. I devoted myself to live as much as I could, not knowing exactly when I would depart.

I let my citizens judge me without facing them and making an apology. I didn't try to play down the mistakes I made which could have made them hate me. I simply let everything follow its natural course.

When I saw that group of people approaching the Parthenon, carrying those demolition tools: hammers, chisels, jackhammers, I just breathed deep. My mother would have been hurt, seeing her temples, her memory, destroyed. But that's life. That's how History is built, sometimes on the past.

It was then when a human flood appeared, much greater than the one who wanted to erase the memory of the ancient gods and the civilization my mother built and left me as her legacy.

I saw men, women, young and old running to them with no fear, shouting at them, removing their hoods, grabbing them by the hair, tossing them to the ground, throwing their tools away. Kicking them out. They made them run.

And then they did what they always do in the toughest times, when it seems the ship is sinking.

Someone took a _buzuki_ and people started dancing a _zorga_ in front of me. They clapped. All of them with a smile in their lips. All of them singing aloud and looking at me.

I saw pride in their eyes. Support. Love. They did that to show me something, and show it to themselved.

What could I do but join their dance?

_«Opa!»_

They had decided. I respected their decision with the same calm as if they had chosen the best I could do was to disappear.

_«Opa!»_


	53. Germany (epilogue)

**_Lilium (_from the anime Elfen Lied, music box version by Stefan Studios)**

* * *

Carlotta Fanelli, North Italy's personal bodyguard and fiancee, was buried with honor at the San Michele cemetery in Venice. Us countries stuck together to console Italy. He is such a merry man, who always tries to get along with everybody, it was the least we could do for him in such a moment.

There were several times when the attention was stolen from him. Like when Switzerland and Austria showed up at the funeral home and left everyone with their mouth hanging. Those were two dead people who came back to life. Hungary turned very pale, then went red, and couldn't help breaking the solemn and respectful environment in the place when she saw them. She made her way through the crowd and slapped Austria in such a way everyone, everyone went silent and looked at them. His spare glasses flew away. 'Stupid! Idiot! How dare you scare me like that!'. Aware that she was making a scene, she dragged him out of the room. Prussia later told me he had caught her kissing him and making him promise he would never use that mean trick. But seeing Austria and Switzerland alive was one of the few things that made Italy smile that day, even if it was just for a brief moment. The other thing was Spain's apparition. He could walk on his own, although Belarus, who didn't take her eyes off him, followed him closely. He seemed much more lively, but it would take him some more time to fully recover. I heard Italy say he was glad to see him and Spain, after giving his condolence, hugged and cuddled him like he used to do when he was a child.

We all had him in our hands. Ever since I found him in Iceland and collapsed in my arms, wounded, I didn't move away from his side. Italy greeted the attendants and went back to me and miss Fanelli's family. Nor Seborga nor Romano moved from his side and only abandoned him for a good reason: Seborga promised to save him some bad times taking care of the unpleasant preparations a funeral and a burial implies and Romano had to deal with the reporters who were lurking outside.

Italy had let all of his rage out in Iceland and then he allowed himself to be vulnerable. I saw how he let France kiss his hair and cheeks affectionately as he rubbed his back. I heard my brother Prussia lavish on sincere and heartfelt apologies for not being able to prevent Greszczyszyn from killing his girlfriend; Italy smiled at him and as he held his hands he told him he knew he had done everything in his hands and he didn't need to apologize. Nicaragua and him didn't exchange a single word but she caressed his cheek and almost cried more than he did. 'It didn't have to end up like this', I heard her say. Poland took him aside and told him something which made Italy tear up.

I didn't lose sight of that one.

But the one Italy cried more with was Japan.

As soon as he came in he show his respect to the deceased's family and then approached Italy. During the war a link was created between us three, I think. It was us against the world. We spent a lot of time together. When Japan approached him, Italy started sobbing and hugged him. I know Japan doesn't like physical contact much and has always found the Italian effusiveness shocking, but he accepted Italy in his arms and let him let it all out in them, like a refuge.

I was gazing at them when I heard a sigh by my side. It was America.

"Poor Italy. It is heartbreaking to see him like that."

I nodded silently.

"The worst thing is Greszczyszyn's not going to pay for his crime. He knew it was very likely that they took him to my place, and he had earned the injection for what he did. He committed suicide this morning. With a razor blade he took out of nowhere. They found a note in which he dedicated it to me."

He sighed.

"Do you believe I am a monster or something like that, too?"

"War makes some men crazy" I replied.

"All I did was for..."

"I know why you did it. But this is not the moment to talk about it. Today, the only thing we must think of is Italy."

"You're right..."

I chewed on his words for a long time, not following my own advice.

After the funeral procession, miss Fanelli was buried and I didn't approach Italy again. He stayed with those who were going to be his father-in-law, his two brothers-in-law, and his mother-in-law, who he embraced and didn't let go for the rest of the day, in whose shoulder he cried as they placed the coffin inside of the piece of the country she loved so much and protected with her own life. The journalists, despite Romano's threats, didn't respect miss Fanelli nor her family's pain and took many pictures. One of them, which showed Italy following the hearse which carried the coffin, was seen in the whole world for its artistic dimension, showing Italy like in one of his religious paintings, with broken expression and delicate pose, and for its meaning. The comments I read made reference to a display of humanity never seen before from a nation. It served for the public opinion to incline in his favor, but I would have preferred that they him alone. Romano even sued the paper who published that picture. I don't know if he won, but it was for naught anyway: today, with social media, it is impossible to prevent pictures from being published.

We could do nothing but leaving Italy alone and go to our respective houses.

"Poland. Wait a moment, please. I'd like to have a few words with you."

No. I had something to do.

"I wanted to apologize to you. No cameras around. No rulers or associations present. For...for..."

Poland didn't understand at first. When he did, his eyes opened wide and his expression turned sour.

"You know very well none of us like to talk about that."

"I know. I know both of us would rather forget about it. But we can't. That's why I want to..."

"What? Drop on your knees and ask me to forgive you? That I get back at you? Is that what you want? After seventy odd years? After every year doing homages, floral tributes, museums and that crap? Germany! If we started remembering everything we've done to each other, we wouldn't talk among ourselves and we'd stay at home alone and bitter! I don't want that! It is true you hurt me! You can't even imagine! You will never have any idea of what you did to me and my people! But you know what? That happened long ago! You're a good guy! You have good part of the weight of the European Union on your shoulders and you do it great! You're methodical, have brains and values! I know your bosses and your own people drove you to that and you just went along! I know because I've also done a few things I didn't personally agree with! All of us, everyone, everyone at all have! And you know what? We moved on! Look...I don't know, Japan! America massacred him! He wiped cities out with his bomb! He left him in misery! People's skin fell off as they ran! And he didn't stop talking to him, they're such good friends! They like to talk about comic books, music and shit! You and I...! Well, we don't see each other that often, but we could be like that if we wanted! Was it the movement? Did they put that idea into your brain? And you're going to give them that satisfaction, of doubting yourself, of seeing yourself as the Nazi? You're so much more than that, dammit! So you'd better get it into your head and never come with me with that! Alright?"

Both of us went quiet. His expression relaxed, I even thought he looked at me hurt.

I didn't know what to reply to that, if there was something that could be said. I could only think of 'sorry', but it was clear that was not what he wanted to hear.

He helped, approaching me to hug me. It felt a bit awkward. We had never been so close before. I had never done anything worth a hug from him. That is why I treasure it in my memory as something very special.

"I am glad you're alright" I heard him say.

That was another picture some paparazzo stole from such a private moment. There was no way to stop this either. Truth be told, I didn't chase the author. I have the clipping in a frame in my office. At the bottom of the picture you can read: 'Fresh start'. Sometimes, when the bad memories of what I was seize me, I look at that photo and shoo the ghosts away with the promise of giving back what I took away.


	54. Canada (epilogue)

"Iceland acted very fast. Thanks to that we got to prevent some members from escaping. We found a slaughter in the house where they met. They decapitated Martinez for questioning the violent methods of the movement. They had split into two branches: the political and the violent. The violent chased the political down. We almost did them a favor arresting all of them. Some moved to the violent side to save their skin and collaborated with us denouncing their partners."

"Greszczyszyn killed North Italy's fiancee and caused a real bloodbath during the assault to the American faction of the One World Nation Movement, but never got to receive justice for what he did, isn't that right? It seems he killed himself during his transfer."

"He loathed America to the very end..."

"And what happened to Ogura? We now know he ordered to cause Sealand's massacre, he was extradited to Japan but there all trace of him is lost. Did they execute him?"

"No."

"No?"

"It is true it hurt Japan a lot that someone so close to him betrayed him and did something so terrible, but he thought it very well before giving his sentence. Maybe he wanted to distance himself from China's more severe methods, or considered enough blood had been spilled. For what I know, he just requested a private audience with him and when he came out of it he requested the emperor to commute the death penalty to life sentence, and he accepted. Ogura never revealed what he needed to know about the Asian branch of the movement, so the Asian countries have been collaborating together to find the members who got to escape."

"After the liberties China has been taking..."

"If Japan accepted his help, it might be because they have talked and reached some agreement."

"I would love to know which."

"Me too, but that's betwen them."

"Ughetti also got life sentence, true?"

"She accumulated enough charges never to come out of prison as long as she lives. Thanks to the information found in her laptop we got information about the management and the digital accounts of the movement which helped us reach many fugitives."

"Sorry, who is 'we'?"

"In fact,t he whole world. This was a massive scale operation. My brother and I, Argentina, who had jurisdiction over her unruly daughter, China, who was a very advanced technology, the Europol, who did a great job...From that moment on we forgot about divisions and started collaborating among each other.

"Yes, many assessments have been done after what happened and one of the most commented things is that you seem...how do I put it? More connected than ever."

"We had never faced a threat which affected every one of us, big and small, rich and poor."

"And your popularity has shot up."

"If only all that blood spilling wasn't necessary..."

"What does the future hold, Mr. Canada? After this, what?"

"After this?"

_(a long pause; Canada smiles)_

"These are amazing times. Ask whoever you want: they will say this is their favorite time. We had never been so close to out people and among each other. Every day seems to have new things to be amazed by in store...From now on, I think it is time to enjoy fully of it all. Not even we can tell what will become of us tomorrow."

"Before finishing, what would you say to all Canadians watching us?"

"...Simply...life is shorter than when think. And in this time we will have the time to spread love or pain...Choose well what you want to do with it."

"Mr. Canada, thank you for coming."

"Thanks to you, Phil. It was a pleasure."

_(applause)_


	55. Austria (epilogue)

My return caused a great commotion. When my president came to pick me up in Iceland the first thing he did was to embrace me tight. 'You want to kill me, right?', he whispered into my ear. We were so happy to see each other we soon forgot our quarrel. He took me home and there I found a real greeting. People ran after my car yelling. Yelling out of happiness. An orchestra played my anthem at my arrival, I saw no balcony without my flag hanging, I also saw many people waving a little one in their hands. An elder woman avoided the security measures to kiss my cheeks. There was a party which lasted for days...It was something so unexpected and excessive, but it didn't absolutely bother me. All the contrary. They invited me to numerous television programs, to talk at the Parliament...

...But I have a commitment which was even more important.

"They're so good, Mr. Austria" Liechtenstein smiled at me as she took one more coconut biscuit.

"Have all you want."

I smiled her back. My gaze turned to Switzerland and saw he was smiling too. Not forcefully, but sincerely. It was evident in his eyes that he had taken a titanic weight off him and was in a placid state, those moments when one is so relaxed the world seems unreal. I saw him look at his little sister and fix his eyes on her for long, as if he didn't believe she was really back and she was alright. I couldn't believe it, actually.

"I will never get used to see you like that. With that haircut."

He kept smiling as he ran a hand though the shaven part.

"I fixed it so it looked better until it returns to it previous state. Actually, it is not that bad. It's...different. After four hundred years with the same look maybe it was time to try something different. More according to these times."

I heard Liechtenstein try to repress a giggle in vain. Switzerland looked at her and his smile widened as he took his coffee cup.

"Is it true you and Hungary...?" he asked after licking his lips.

"That is between us" I replied.

"So, yes."

"We are happy to see each other safe and sound" I remarked. I really didn't want the conversation to go to such personal matters.

"I'm not saying anything. I just want to know if the rumors were true."

"I didn't know you were such a gossiper. You're changing, and I don't think it's for good."

"I am not gossiping. I just like to be informed, that's all."

It was a peaceful afternoon, after all we went through, and I am not only talking about the threat of the movement, but all these years not talking to each other for the most absurd reasons, some of them I don't even remember. Even just for once, it was like going back to those times when we were friends, we spent a lot of time together and cared about each other.

Even just for once, and that's enough for me.


	56. England (epilogue)

**_Chim Chim Cheree / East Wind (_piano version by Thomas Newman)**

* * *

_«Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?_

_Thou art more lovely and more temperate:_

_Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,_

_And summer's lease hath all too short a date»_

I was reading when Lance came into the living room.

"There is a girl outside who wants to see you, Mr. England. She's very insisting. She says her name is Sarah Vaughan."

I got up from my armchair immediately, leaving the book aside, a first edition I could have donated to a museum but decided to keep because I couldn't get rid of it in a million years. I thanked Lance and went straight to the door.

And there she was.

"Hello, Sarah."

I let her in. How out of place she was there, with those clothes too big for her, the wool hat, earrings in bunches and jeans ripped by the knees.

"I saw you on the television" she said.

"At least this time you were kind enough to come in through the door."

"Listen, did you tell France to say those things? About repentance."

"He thought of it himself. He just came up with it as he spoke" was it disappointment what I briefly saw in her face? "But I felt the same. I couldn't have expressed it better."

"Surely you just apologized because they had you by the balls."

"You're too young to speak that way."

"I am not a lady and we're not in the Victorian times, in case you didn't notice, so I can speak the way I want."

"No. I didn't say so for convenience. Let us say...I've been forced to face something I've overlooked for a long time. Sometimes you need a gun aimed at your face."

"Well, still, your brother...He...nobody, even him, deserved to die..."

"Didn't you say in revolution casualties are unavoidable?"

"I have the right to change my mind too, don't I?"

She was young and mercurial.

_«And summer's lease hath all too short a date»_

"What did you come for?"

"I just...wanted to say thank you. For not telling what I did to the police or my parents."

"Consider it a chance to build, instead of destructing."

"Only if you keep your promise. Never hurting someone again and...just getting involved in wars when Eurovision comes."

"I'll try."

"Fine. By the way, talking about Eurovision, we'd better go back to punk and forget about ballads and that crap. I'd like to win some time, you know?"

I laughed.

"Maybe next year. Do you have to do something now?"

"Why?"

"Maybe you'd like to stay and have something. I was about to prepare tea."

"Well..." Sarah doubted. "Alright. I have nothing better to do..."

When she passed by my side her perfume hit my nose. She told me later, when she started sharing confidences with me, what she put on the colognes they had for testing at the perfume shops.

"Your house looks smaller from outside. This is amazing. Hey, since we are here, why don't you show me what you have in here? You have things any museum would kill for. Hey, isn't that Mick Jagger?"

I stayed at the frame of the door gazing. Just gazing.

You have no idea of how much it hurt, Titania, to see her nosing around my belongings. I looked at her and saw Peter. The same childish curiosity in her eyes, since, as mature as she pretended she was, she was still a child. How she ran around the room, how she touched everything. Just like him.

Peter...

That is what I most regret out of everything I have done in almost two thousand years of existence. I pushed him away from me and looked down on him. Although they say it was not my fault, I think that is what got him killed. If I had been there, if I had protected him like an older brother is supposed to do...

Now it is too late to make amends and I will have to live with it for the rest of my life. Centuries and centuries...

_«But thy eternal summer shall not fade,_

_Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;_

_Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,_

_When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st»_

Sarah could never fill that space. But...But if I can take a lost soul who looks for their place in the world under my wing...if I can fix the mistakes I made in the past...The mistakes I made with Peter, with Alfred, with Jett, Matthew, Jiao Long, Ralph, Muhammad, Michelle...

"Hey, I've seen there's a name apart from England in your mailbox, Arthur Kirkland, do you live with someone?"

"No, that's my human name. Uhm, it is an administrative necessity."

"May I call you that way, Arthur? England sounds so much weird. Yeah, I'll call you Arthur. What's this?"

"That? Oh, I can make a video-call to America and let him tell you himself. You will see. He'll love to mock me."

Peter, if you are watching from some place...and I hope you do...I want you to know I did care about you, little brother. I haven't replaced you. No one could ever replace you. I am just trying to do what I should have done.

I dedicate this to you...


	57. Romano (epilogue)

**_Marry me _(Hans Zimmer)**

* * *

The months after Fanelli's passing were horrible for Veneziano...and for me, who had to watch him without being able to do anything about it.

He spent the first days at the house of those who were going to be his parents-in-law. He refused to leave them. I don't know which relationship they exactly had, if there were more meetings than that October day when he supposedly met them, but surely Veneziano did merits to become like a son to them. Then he returned with me, but I barely saw him. He spent a lot of time at the Vatican, with the Pope, talking...I don't know about what, surely about the other life and God's designs. I don't think he found much consolation in prayer. I heard him sob many nights when I walked by his bedroom. He was so bad our president gave me address of a psychologist and gave me the responsibility to convince him about seeing her. He accepted. He was so bad, so mentally weak, he would have said yes to the proposition of jumping off a bridge. The lady who cared for him said he was going great progress, he opened himself up immediately and explained to me that mourning divided into phases, and he was in the depression one, soon he would go to acceptance; all that bullshit. I don't know, but I had the impression he was stuck in that phase and he didn't move forward nor backwards. I didn't know what to say or do to make him feel better. I have never been good on these things.

It was expected that Veneziano would face the death of his beloved sooner or later, and he would suffer even if he insisted he would be prepared. But Fanelli passed too soon, much before they could live that happiness both of them dreamed about. She died too young. All those life projects together dissolved like smoke in barely an instant.

That is why it surprised me so much to know Veneziano would attend Venice's Carnival.

I found him at the garden close to dusk, with the mp3 in hand. Music had always brought him deep emotions; at that time it was one of his few reliefs. When I came out, he was gazing at the leaves of the orange trees we have, and he had a tiny smile on his face. He removed the earphones as soon as he saw me coming.

"I like Davide's song more and more each time I listen to it."

He was talking about Davide Cordaron, who was going to act in the opening show of Eurovision. We were the hosts, having won the previous year (729 points, and before the televoting we were fifth).

"I'm sure our friends will love it."

"I though this year we wouldn't..."

After what we went through, did we really want to join up to fool around? Would someone want to watch it?

"Everyone I've asked have told me they'd attend" Veneziano explained. "I want to do it too. Now more than ever we need music and being together. We've gone through some tough months, we've lost friends. But...but we've made peace with our people, we're alive and we're alright. Isn't that a reason to celebrate?"

"But are you sure, Veneziano?"

That song, Cordaro's...It was the one he planned to use to ask Fanelli to marry him in front of all Europe. He was supposed to jump into the stage during the last stanza, sing the last verse: «Part of you, you, part of me», and, without a ring, he would ask her the big question. Now that she was not there anymore, would he really attend the show? Would he leave that song?

I saw my brother's eyes fill with tears. He didn't reply.

"Same with the Carnival. Isn't it too soon for...?"

Finally, he looked at me and smiled. I sighed. I sat by his side.

"I don't want you to force yourself to act happy all the time. If you want to lock yourself up at home, do it. Screw everyone. It'll be just one year. Or two. Or three. As many as you need."

"I like the Carnival. It is the moment to make pretty costumes. People from all around the world come to see it. I've been doing it for so long. And Eurovision, we haven't won in a lot of time. I like both things. And you know they are not just celebrations."

"True...They are not just celebrations..."

"You know, fratello?"

"What?"

"I've been seeing Bergoglio, apart from the psychologist the prez sent me to. Both have helped me a lot. Even if they have different ideas of what happens when a person dies, I've noticed they agree on something. They don't leave. Not completely. Remember what they said when our soldiers died? Those who give their blood for their motherland make it big..."

"Yes, but that's from the times of..."

"Well...It is...something like that. Carlotta died for me. Not only that. She was born from me. She was born in my land. And she, like all people from my land, helped me become what I am today. Now she is back to me. Now...she rests in the ground forever. It seems strange, but I feel like she was still here, with me. Much closer than if she was sat where you are now. Into my heart. I think...She's never leaving. We'll never be apart. I'll be with her for the rest of my life and she'll be as merry and pretty as I met her."

He lowered his head, sniffing. Then he looked at me with a dumb smile.

"It doesn't have much sense, does it?"

I shook my head.

"No, Feliciano. I understand perfectly."

I placed a hand on his leg.

"You're right. No one ever leaves. As many centuries pass. There is always something which remains. Something not even all movements in the world, armed to the teeth, can erase. Call it love, call it link person-country..."

"Love is fine. Yes."

"Right. Love. Love never goes away."

"That's right. That's why I want to go there and sing, laugh and dance. For her."

"Let's do it then, shit. You and I will go to the Carnival and have a terrific time. And I'll make sure this year's show is unforgettable. See, they'll be dead jealous. They won't want to go to sleep!"

I looked for his hand and squeezed it with a smile. Veneziano smiled too, but with an absent smile. I saw him look back to the leaved of the orange tree, which shook with the wind. The light of the sunset filtered through them. He smiled much beyond me. Much beyond our house.


	58. Liechtenstein (epilogue)

**May, 13th**

* * *

I see I abandoned this diary and I am sorry for it. Writing about all of that left me so exhausted I had to leave it and then things started happening and distracted me. I took some trips with Switzerland and the most shocking: one evening I found I had stained the sofa with blood. That's right: I got my first menstruation. Switzerland almost suffered a heart attack. Good thing Austria was much more calm about it because if it had been for my brother, I would have been hysterical. Eventually, Switzerland had the good thought of calling female friends who, of course, knew much, much more about the matter than him. They came home and had pastries together. They pampered me so much. Miss Belgium congratulated me for having turned into a woman. Miss Belarus warned me that it would occur once a month, it was completely useless and it hurt, so I had to get used to it. But she and the other gave me very good advice and answered all of my questions. They say it is a sign that I am growing up.

All that happened made much of the attention focus on me. When I went back home there were cameras from all around the globe broadcasting how my princes hugged me in tears. My people celebrated my return with a national festivity. I couldn't disappoint them. That life I had conserved had to be of some use. I started by becoming the voice of the micro-nations, who were left alone and hurt after the attacks they suffered and the disappearance of their leader, Sealand. I spoke in their favor as much as I could, gave them the chance to speak for themselves. I also implied myself more in state matters. I wanted to make Liechtenstein appear on the maps, make myself be noticed. I don't want to be Switzerland satellite eternally. He has already risked so much for me. I think the best way I can pay for his attentions is being as independent and adult as I can.

I feel more adult indeed. I did all I could to escape form that hell. And I have my own secrets.

I haven't heard a single comment about the existence of Tero, the Only Nation. At the house they only found three corpses, all of them human. That is the official version.

But I don't want to give one more thought to those people. I've left my memories in these pages and so I free myself from it.

This year they've invited me to the Eurovision contest even if I couldn't participate for different reasons. I accepted, of course.

We met in Milan. I had the chance to do some tourism before and after the show, and it turned out to be a very interesting city. I had the chance to meet Latvia, who had never seen Milan either. We talked a bit about everything. He said I was very brave and surely very strong, having survived that captivity. If Switzerland hadn't been around, like a guardian dog, maybe we could have talked about many other things, Latvia wouldn't have felt so intimidated. But Switzerland couldn't prevent us from seeing each other at the stadium where the show was celebrated. He didn't get to classify for the final, so, like me, he was free to chat around and explore. We sat side to side. And Switzerland by his side. Oh, well! He had also failed in the semi-finals, but he seemed to care more about my companies than the show.

From my seat I could see the other nations. Australia showed up giving spine-breaking hugs to everyone. Much was spoken about England's company: three young people, one girl and two boys, which England introduced as the Vaughans, not related in any way to the singer or her crew, who looked around enthusiastically, took photos of everything and everyone and wouldn't stop joking. Jokes in which England participated.

Russia's apparition got things a bit tense. As soon as he approached, the Nordic countries walked away. I believed for a second Finland was going to throw the soda can he was drinking. I don't know why they did that. I've never seen them behave like that. Russia didn't seem to care. Only I saw he found someone there who made him feel good instantly. It was his sister Ukraine. I saw them approach each other, exchange some words. Then, she left some kisses in his face as if he was a child and, oh, I've been told terrible things about Russia, but they wouldn't think he's so bad if they had seen his face when she did that to him. Their little sister Belarus approached them and Ukraine included her in the hug. Seeing them made me smile.

A man sat by my side, one who carried a little white bear in his arms and let me caress. "He won't bite you" he assured me. Apparently, he was the honorary guest that night but nobody seemed to remember him in the whole night. Not even I can remember what his name was. But he had a good time. I heard him cheer enthusiastically.

The flag parade was spectacular, with a gigantic screen in the ceiling which reflected the flag of the country that was introduced. Each nation crossed the catwalk to the participants' zone with their singer or singers.

Nobody except the Anglophone countries sang in English. All of them performed in their respective language. An old vindication which seemed more necessary than ever at the time.

Belarus started with a song performed by a woman who apart from playing the violin danced. Greece followed with something inspired in a tune from his place, with dubstep touches. Then Finland made the whole stadium vibrate with a female heavy metal group. Then Romania came with a man who seemed to be dressed with a ballet dancer suit and a king's cape. Portugal presented a couple who sang an incredibly romantic song, so much I thought they would kiss live. I liked Turkey's representatives, because apart from traditional music they had dancers who did pirouettes all around the stage.

There were comments about some of the performances.

Because of the lyrics of the song, like the bearded man who sang for Germany:

«And if I could be born again / Start over / I would change everything»

Or the one Lithuania was apparently involved in, sang by a seventeen year old girl:

«We think we are on our own / But we are all connected / By the long thread of life»

Because they were lively, like Spain's entry, called 'Come and dance', performed by a seventy year old lady, who had us standing up to clap and dance. In fact, that year made history because it was the only one in which there was not a single ballad, not one single sad song.

There were some moments, actually. It was unavoidable. Russia presented a song called 'Peter Pan', which, even if it wasn't what we usually call a sad song, made Latvia by my side wipe a few tears which ran down his cheeks. Cameras focused on England. Although he kept his posture quite well, I noticed his collar seemed too tight for him. When the performances ended and there was a time of rest before voting, there were performances from some Eurovision winners and revisions of winner songs from Italy. A man sang a song about loving forever, the song North Italy was going to use to ask his girlfriend to marry him. I saw some nations couldn't contain the tears: Hungary, Ukraine, France, even South Italy. His brother, on the contrary, sang along with his eyes on the ceiling with a smile. But generally it was a very, very lively show. I have never danced so much in my life. I even lost a hair clip for moving so much.

The decisive moment came, the voting. You could feel the nervousness. Old quarrels surfaced. Prussia's screaming voice was heard saying to France and Spain that the one who ended up in the last position would pay for some beers.

The vote of the professional juries gave the United Kingdom the victory, followed by Iceland and Monaco. But, as usual, televoting changed everything. Magically, United Kingdom became third, Turkey ended up second and the winner turned out to be Lithuania.

He didn't believe it at first. He looked around like asking himself why his name was the first on the list. His singer and partners attracted his attention, and he gazed at them with his eyes open wide, asking again and agian 'what? seriously?'. Even Poland got up from his seat to pat his shoulder to make him notice. He finally reacted, hugging the winner and going to the stage with her to get the trophy. "Thank you, Europe!". He let his singer say the words, because he was speechless. He had never won before, he was too happy.

The party did not end there. After the show it was mandatory that the winner went partying. Of course, the other nations joined. We met at Italy's villa, where we stayed till late, talking, laughing, dancing. There was a lot of alcohol (by the way, it was France the one who had to pay for the promised beers), even someone got a Twister game and Prussia, Hungary, Ester Kostrová (Slovakia's representative singer), North Italy, Spain, the three young people who came with England and Denmark played. When it got late and came the time to go the hotel to sleep (some were so wasted they had to stay at Italy's house) I was still giggling as I got into bed.

Now I am back home. There is no place like this. I've missed so these prairies, my home, the staff of my house, Hans, Marie, Alois, Maximilian, Constantin and Tatjana. My people, who throw me kisses when they see me coming. Being with my brother, simply sat on the grass eating sandwiches. I'm at home. It is marvelous. I have never felt this happy for being here. Alive one more day to enjoy and try to do good to my people.

Indeed the darkest times are those which help us value what we have, both the people and our lifestyle.

* * *

**THE END**


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